The Legend of the Dragon's Claw
by Amos Whirly
Summary: COMPLETE Six years after Pirates of the Caribbean, Captain Jack Sparrow returns to Port Royal in search of a unique dagger that holds the key to finding a fantastic treasure.
1. Introduction: Claw of the Red Dragon

Pirates of the Caribbean 

**Legend of the Dragon's Claw**

**By Amos Whirly**

Introduction: Claw of the Red Dragon 

            The waters of the forbidden harbor lapped gently against the sandy shoreline.  The coral and rocks littered below the waves scraped the bottom of the small wooden boat as it drifted toward the shore.  The craft ran up on the beach, and two men jumped out, dragging the boat farther onto the sand to keep the tide from grabbing it.

            A man, taller than his subordinates, stepped from the boat and started toward the forest that loomed darkly behind the shore.  The men watched him go, eying the large hide bag their captain carried across his back.  The red sun glinted off the golden treasures within the bag.

            One man, bearing another bag of treasure, followed the captain into the forest.  The winding trail led to a small cave in the side of a mountain.  The captain entered without fear.

            Down they went for what felt like hours until they entered a huge, fire-lit chamber overflowing with precious gems and rare stones, pirated from all over the world.

            The captain set his bag down and began distributing the items around the cave.

            "Captain Wang?" the man asked.

            The captain turned to him, black eyes darker than a midnight sky.

            "What should I do with this?"

            The man showed an intricately carved dagger and sheath to the captain.

            "Place it on the altar, Zao," the captain nodded to the golden altar at the center of the room.

The man nodded and did as he had been commanded, laying the beautiful dagger and sheath on the ceremonial cloth that covered the golden altar.  Both men continued distributing their stolen goods to all corners of the cave.  When they were finished, they stood side-by-side and gazed at the dagger.

The sheath had carved of ivory and jade, highlighted with gold.  The dagger was no less intricate, crafted of the finest metals and covered in detailed inscriptions.

The captain pulled the dagger from its sheath and gazed at it.  The hilt was jade, carved in the image of a dragon, stained red.

"The Dragon's Claw," he murmured. 

He tucked it away in his belt, leaving the sheath on the altar, turned and headed for the stairway.

"Captain?" Zao called after him. "Do you not want to sheath as well?"

"The Claw is not a weapon," the captain responded quietly, beckoning his subordinate to follow. 

"I do not understand," Zao mused. "Why do you leave the sheath?"

"Two parts to a puzzle, Zao," the captain answered. "Two parts to a puzzle."

The captain pulled the dagger out and displayed it.

"It's barely sharp enough to cut rope," he said. "It is worthless as a weapon."

"Why then did you have it made, Captain?" Zao asked. 

The captain shoved the dagger back into his belt, and he and Zao began to walk up the stairs.

"There are more important things in this world than weapons, Zao," the captain nodded with a smile. "Honor.  Victory.  Family.  This dagger shall provide me with the key to preserving my family's name for eternity."

            The door to the chamber swung shut behind them, echoing the in darkness like thunder before a storm.


	2. Chapter One: The Stranger

Pirates of the Caribbean 

**Legend of the Dragon's Claw**

By Amos Whirly Chapter One: The Stranger 

            The dark blue fabric of the British flag flapped in the wild Caribbean breeze above the harbor at Port Royal.  The marketplace was bustling, filled with every merchant imaginable, all attempting to persuade passers-by to purchase unnecessary goods and services.

            A five-year-old girl skipped jovially down the dirt street.  She wore a simple little dress, and her brown hair fell in corkscrew curls around her little face.  She stopped at a merchant booth flaunting sweets and toys.

            "Why 'allo Miss Tori," the merchant bent over the counter to greet the little brown-haired girl. "'Ow kin I be 'elpin' ye t'daiy?  Would ye lyke some candy, luv?"

            "Aye, sir.  Very much," the little girl's brown eyes shone brilliantly, "but Mum says I can't."

            "Oh, jest a few pieces won't 'urt nuthin', luvy!"

            The man held out a bag of hard candy, tempting the girl.

            "Mr. Martin!" came a sharp voice.

            The merchant jumped and nearly dropped the bag of candy. 

            "M—Mrs. Turner!" he yelped, falling into his seat behind his booth as a beautiful young woman approached the booth.

            She wore a simple dress and a tasteful straw hat.  In one arm, she carried a baby boy with huge black eyes.

            "I would thank you not to solicit my daughter, Mr. Martin," she said briskly, brown eyes sparkling. "Come, Tori." She held out her hand, and the young girl took it. 

            The girl and her mother walked away together.

            "Oh, Mum," the girl whispered, "why can't we buy some candy?"

            "Oh, darling, we can't afford it."

The little girl lowered her head, brown curls falling around her face.

Her mother stopped and knelt down beside her, saying, "but I promise, Tori, some day I'll buy you a boatload of candy."

"Really?"

The girl's head lifted, and she grinned from ear to ear.

"I promise."

Tori threw her little arms around her mother's slender neck, and they both laughed as the baby fussed at all the movement.

"Now," Mrs. Turner stood and brushed off her dress. "We're only here for groceries."

"May I look at Mr. Parker's glass angles, Mum?"

"Of course," she answered. "Stay there.  I'll come find you when I'm done."

"All right, Mum."

Tori ran off to another stand.  Mr. Parker made beautiful sculptures out of glass, and Tori liked nothing better than to gaze at all the fabulous creatures that littered his sale table.

Tori peered over the edge of the counter and smiled at a glass dolphin.  She looked around for Mr. Parker, but he was nowhere in sight.  Tori fingered a glass flower and smiled at a glass bird that hung over her head.

Suddenly, Mr. Parker's ancient face appeared in the booth.

"Why, hello, little Tori!" he smiled at her. "How are you this bright, fine morning."

"Fine," she nodded.

"Are you wanting to buy something?"

"No, sir."

"Just looking, then, are you?"

She nodded again.

"It's a rare craft indeed causes little girls to stare," came a strange voice.

Tori turned and looked up.

A slender figure draped in a dark, hooded cape stood beside her, leaning nonchalantly on the booth.  She could barely see his nose.

"Uh," Mr. Parker cleared his throat, "yes, it is."

"A fine art," the stranger picked up a glass sculpture of a sailing ship.

Tori stared at his dirty hand.  His hand was greasy and grimy, and a number of rings perched on his fingers.

"You've dirty hands, sir," she said aloud.

The stranger looked down at her, smirking visibly under his hood.

"And is there something wrong with dirty hands, little missy?"

"No," the little girl shook her head. "Papa's hands are always dirty, but Mum makes him wash afore he comes in the house."

"Really?" the stranger knelt down in front of Tori. "And what does your father do that causes his hands to be so dirty?"

"He makes things," Tori nodded proudly.

"Makes things?"

"Miss Tori's father is the best blacksmith in town, sir," Mr. Parker spoke from behind his booth.

"Brown, is it, then?" the stranger asked, setting the glass ship on the countertop.

"Brown?" Parker laughed. "Naw.  Old Brown died years ago.  It's his apprentice.  Will Turner."

The stranger straightened slowly, his unseen gaze never leaving the little girl.

"And you are his daughter?" he asked.

"Aye, that's me," the girl smiled. "Victoria Elizabeth Marie Isabella Turner."

"Quite a long name for such a little lass."

"Everybody calls me Tori."

"Well, I should call you Tori, then, aye?" he extended his hand.

With a giggle, Tori shook it.

"And your mother—she would be Elizabeth, yes?"

"Aye."

"Aye," the man scratched his chin with his grimy hands.

Tori stared at what she could see of his beard.  It was dark but not quite full, with two beaded braids hanging from his chin.

"Interesting," she heard him mutter.

He picked up the glass ship again.

"How much for this, mate?" he shook the sculpture at Mr. Parker.

"Two shillings."

The stranger dove into a pocket beneath his cape and dug out two silver coins, slapping them on the table, and kneeling down again.

"Here you go, luv," he handed the ship to Tori.  

She took it and grinned hugely.

"Thank you, sir!"

"You're very much welcome."

"But my mum—"

"Tell her Smith gave it to you."

"Smith?"

"That's what you can call me," the stranger patted her head. "Smith."

"Thank you, Mr. Smith."

"Tori!" Elizabeth Turner's voice carried over the din of the marketplace.

Tori looked over her shoulder and waved at her mother, and when she turned back, the stranger had disappeared as if he had never been there.

"Ready to go, darling?"

"Mum!  Mum! Look what Mr. Smith gave me!" Tori handed the little glass ship to her mother.  

Elizabeth shifted the baby to the other arm and examined the little ship.

It was small, sitting perfectly in the palm of her hand.  It's shining glass sails sparkled in the afternoon sun, and a flag waved from its tallest mast. 

"Tori," she started, her voice shaking, "I told you, we can only afford groceries."

"It's all right, Mrs. Elizabeth," Mr. Parker spoke from behind his booth. "Some odd fellow calling himself Smith came up and bought it for her."

"Smith?" Elizabeth furrowed her pretty brow.

"Aye," Mr. Parker nodded. "So, it's hers."

"Well," Elizabeth handed the ship back to her daughter, "did you thank Mr. Smith?"

"Yes, Mum.  Twice."

"All right," Elizabeth smiled. "Thank you, Mr. Parker."

Mr. Parker nodded, and Elizabeth and her children started walking.

"Mum," Tori took her mother's hand as she clutched the little ship in the other, "do you suppose it's a pirate ship?  Like the ones in the stories you and Papa told me?"

"No, darling," Elizabeth smiled down at her. "It's just a little sailing ship."

"Oh," Tori pursed her little lips. "I was hoping it was a pirate ship."

"Why?"

"It would be fun to meet a pirate."

"Tori, darling, you remind me of someone," Elizabeth rolled her eyes.

"Who, Mum?"

"Myself."

In an alley behind them, the man in the black cape watched their every move.

"Ah, Elizabeth," he chuckled, "you haven't changed a bit, luv."


	3. Chapter Two: Reunion

Pirates of the Caribbean 

**Legend of the Dragon's Claw**

**By Amos Whirly** **Chapter Two: Reunion **

            Clang!  Clang!  The hammer beat on the fiery piece of glowing steel.  

Clang!  Clang!  The heat from the fire pit caused his handsome face to glow, a sheen of perspiration coating his high brow.

Sweat dripped from the strands of hair that always refused to stay behind his ears.  A particularly scorching wave of heat hit his bare arms, and he winced slightly.  After pounding the glistening chunk of molten steel flat, he thrust it into a pail of murky water.  Steam poured from the bucket.  He pulled it out, examined it quickly, and shoved it back into the coals. 

He lay down his hammer and wiped his brow.

The wooden door across the dirt floor banged and opened.

"Papa!" a little voice screeched as Tori raced across the dirt.

"There's my little Tori," he greeted her with open arms and a bear hug, lifting her off the ground and throwing her into the air.

Tori screeched with laughter.

"Will, be careful," Elizabeth reproved with a bright smile. 

"Yes, dear," Will winked at her, placing a gentle kiss on her soft cheek. "Hello, Little Willie." He poked the baby boy's stomach, and the child giggled.

"Papa!" Tori tugged on her father's sweaty collar, "look at what the strange man bought me!"

She handed him the glass sculpture.

"A little glass ship," Will smiled, his dark eyes sparkling. "That's wonderful, Vicky.  Are you going to sail away on it?"

"No, silly," Tori rubbed her nose against his.

"And who was this strange man?" 

"Mr. Parker said his name was Smith," Elizabeth cocked her head, honey-colored curls tumbling from beneath her hat. 

"Smith, eh?"

"Yes."

"Well, that was very kind of Mr. Smith."

"I told him thank you, Papa."

"Did you, now?"

"Aye, twice."

"Well, what a wonderful little lady you are."

Tori giggled and chased after Elizabeth as she carried Little Will into the house connected to the wooden work shed. 

Will turned back to his work and sighed.  He pulled the molten piece of steel out of the blazing embers and pounded it flat, dunking it in the barrel.

"I think that's enough for today," he smiled and set the steaming hunk of metal aside.

He shed his apron and walked quickly to the door at the back of the shed.  He opened it, slipped out of his old clogs, and stepped into the house.  

He eyed Little Will as he entered the kitchen, in which Elizabeth was cooking.  He had made a metal fence of sorts to keep Little Will safe while the he played.  Presently, the toddler was banging wooden blocks together.  

Will slipped behind his wife and leaned on the counter.

"Did you find everything you needed at the marketplace?"

"Yes," Elizabeth answered, emptying a bowl of chopped potatoes into a pan of boiling water, "although I must say that I don't take took kindly to strangers giving your daughter gifts."

Will smiled slightly and ran his fingers in his wife's honey-colored curls.

"Your hands had best be clean, William Turner."

"Oh, and what are you going to do if they aren't?"

She turned her head and kissed him lightly.

"Absolutely nothing," she whispered in his ear.

He kissed her in return, against her lips mumbling, "I love you, Elizabeth."

"I love you too, Will," she slid her arms around his neck and kissed him again.

He leaned surreptitiously out of the alley, glancing up and down the dirt street.  The humid wind caught at his black cape and threatened to blow his concealing hood off.  He eyed the sturdy wooden blacksmith shop with a smile and started walking toward it.

A small wooden house was connected to the shed, and the lights inside burned brightly against the fast-approaching night. 

"Just in time for dinner," he mumbled and ambled toward the front door.

Once he reached it, he knocked once and waited.  There was no answer.  He tapped on his chin with a smirk on his face and knocked again.  Again, there was no response.  He scowled darkly, sliding one arm back under his long cloak to slip his fingers around the hilt of his sword.

He knocked one more time.

The door creaked and opened.

Tori stood behind it, looking very surprised.

"Mr. Smith!" she laughed, clapping her hands and throwing herself at him.

The cloaked man stumbled slightly as the child wrapped her arms around his legs.

"Why, Little Miss Turner," he could not contain a chuckle, "what a surprise."

"You can come and have dinner with us!" she grabbed his hand and pulled. 

He acquiesced and allowed her to drag him into the humble little house.

"Mum!  Papa!  Mr. Smith!  He's here!"

In the kitchen, Will and Elizabeth both gave a start.  Will immediately reached for one of his wife's carving knives and raced for the entryway.

"Papa!" Tori giggled. "It's Mr. Smith!"

The child gestured to a slender man in a dark cloak now standing in the living area of his home.

"Tori," he started, clutching the knife handle, "come away from there."

"Oh, now what sort of attitude is that, boy?" the cloaked figure asked with an arrogant tone.

"Tori, do as I say," Will did not take his eyes from the man.

Slowly, Tori moved away from her friend and padded to where her mother was standing with wide eyes.

"Who are you?" Will demanded. "What do you want?"

"To chat, of course."

The man approached with an obvious swagger in spite of the billowing cloak he wore.  Will clutched the knife harder, sensing the threat that loomed about the stranger.

"Ah, come now, William," the man's smirk was evident, "put it away.  Is it worth you getting beat again?"

Will narrowed his eyes.

And the stranger lunged with the sound of a sword being pulled from a sheath.  Tori screamed as Will jerked the carving knife up and blocked the stranger's first blow.  Oddly enough, the man did not strike again.

"Who are you?" Will whispered, gazing into that darkened hood.

The man grinned, showing numerous golden teeth.

"I'm not going to tell you.  You've got to guess for yourself."

He swung the sword away and lunged again.

"Mr. Smith!" Tori shrieked.

Will blocked the blow again.

"You're not a marauder," Will ascertained as he blocked another hit. 

"Too classy for that."

Will dodged around the blade. 

"You're not a robber."

"Ha!  You're too poor for that!"

He swung again, and Will blocked it.

"We've little of value!" Will shouted, maneuvering around the blade. 

"Haven't I told you before, mate?" the man swung his sword once again, catching Will's knife. "Not all treasure's silver and gold."

Will's face sobered instantly, but he did not drop the knife.  

"Not a marauder or a robber," Will reasoned, a smirk slowly curling up his face. "You must be a pirate."

"Bright as buttons, you are, mate."

"So," Will was grinning now, "you've come back, have you?"

"I was waiting for the—opportune—moment."

The man stepped back, sheathed his sword, and pulled the hood off.

Unkempt black dreadlocks, twined with beads and bones, fell from beneath a dingy red bandana.  His black eyes sparkled with good humor, rims lined with black to eliminate the sun's glare.  His skin was darkly tanned from a life on the sea, and his clothes were baggy, worn, and dirty.

"Jack Sparrow," Will laughed.

"Will, have you forgotten already?"

"Pardon me," Will mock bowed. "_Captain_ Jack Sparrow."

"There you go, mate," Jack grinned. "Elizabeth."

"Jack!" Elizabeth's hand rested over her heart. "I can hardly believe it's you!  After all these years!"

Jack knelt down and offered a smile at Tori, who was cowering behind her mother's skirts.

"Sorry for the scare, luv," he winked at her.

"You're the one who bought her the ship," Will crossed his arms.

"Aye," Jack stood and clapped his hand on Will's shoulder. "While I'm here, you'd best call me Smith."

"Why _are_ you here, Jack?" Elizabeth stepped forward. "Off on another treasure hunt, I suppose?"

"Ah, dear Elizabeth," he turned to her dramatically, "you know me too well.  Yes.  I am here seeking a man."

"A man instead of a treasure?" Will cocked his eyebrows.

"A _great_ man with a treasure that leads to the _bigger_ treasure of a _greater_ man," Jack shook his dirty finger.

Will and Elizabeth traded a look.

"Where's the _Pearl_?" Will asked.

"It's hiding off shore in one of the coves, hoping old Norrington doesn't catch sight of it," Jack rolled his eyes. "I swear, that bloody Norrington never gives up does he." He peered over Elizabeth's shoulder. "Aren't you glad you married Will instead of that stick, eh?"

"Yes, Jack, I am," Elizabeth nodded firmly, "but that's none of your business."

Tori was still hiding behind her mother.

"Are you hungry, Jack?" Will set a hand on his old friend's muscled shoulder. 

"I could use a bite, aye."

"So," Tori's little voice interrupted them, causing all eyes to turn to her, "you're not a bad guy?"

"No, luv," Jack knelt down and smiled at her. 

"Vicky," Will knelt as well and pulled his daughter into a gentle embrace, "this is a very good friend of mine.  His name is—uh—" Jack grimaced and waved his hands. "Smith.  His name is Mr. Smith."

"Why were you fighting?" Tori looked at her father.

"Oh," Jack shrugged, leaning forward and tugging on his mustache. "It's just a pirate thing."


	4. Chapter Three: Shadows of the Past

**Pirates of the Caribbean**

**Legend of the Dragon's Claw**

**By Amos Whirly**

**Chapter Three: Shadows of the Past**

     "Oh, Mum!  Can't I stay up a bit longer?" Tori wailed as Elizabeth tucked her into the small trundle bed. "I want to talk to Mr. Smith!"

     "Now, Tori," Elizabeth reproved gently, "you can talk to Mr. Smith in the morning.  Right now, it's time for you to go to sleep."

     "Oh, Mum."

     "Don't 'Oh, Mum' me," Elizabeth kissed her daughter's forehead with a laugh. "You'll have plenty of time to listen to him later."

     "All right."

     "All right," Elizabeth kissed her again. "Goodnight, darling."

     "G'night, Mum."

     Elizabeth stood, checked Little Will's cradle where the toddler was sleeping soundly, and hurried out of the room.  As she bustled down the hallway and into the dining area, she saw Jack and Will sitting close and talking quietly.

     "Elizabeth!" Jack threw his arms in the air as soon as she was in sight. "What a wonderful meal!  Are you sure you want to stick around with William here?  No one on board the _Pearl_ can boil water without burning it.  It's been nigh on a year since I had a good plate."

     Elizabeth giggled at the praise and gathered his dishes.

     "Thank you for the offer, Jack, but I'm quite happy here," she took his plates to the kitchen. 

     "Can't blame a man for asking, though."

     Will shook his head.

     "It's really wonderful to see you, Jack," he said. "I never expected you to show around these parts again."

     "I hadn't planned on it to be sure," Jack winked at him, "but certain information crossed my path that just happened to lead me to your door, dear William."

     "What kind of information?" Will leaned forward.

     "Earlier you said you were looking for a man," Elizabeth returned to the table and sat next to Will. "What man is it?"

     "Will," Jack settled himself in his chair, "have you heard of a man named Aden McClintock?"

     "Aden McClintock?" Will repeated, furrowing his brow. "Of course.  He's a sword collector from Scotland, down visiting from Edinburgh.  Why?"

     "I've gotten word," Jack rested his elbows on the table, "that old McClintock's come into possession of a certain dagger.  They call it the 'Dragon's Claw.'"

     "A dagger?" Elizabeth smiled. "What's so important about a dagger, Jack?"

     "Well, you see," Jack shifted in his seat, "nothing.  There's nothing important about the Claw.  In fact, it's almost worthless as a weapon because it wasn't forged to _be_ a weapon.  It's not even sharp enough to cut lard."

     "So why do you want it?" Will asked.

     "The Claw itself isn't important.  It's the hilt."

     Will and Elizabeth traded a glance.

     "The hilt tells the precise location of a secret island that's filled with treasures beyond your imagination," Jack's eyes were shining. "I hear tell it's diamonds and rubies and sapphires and emeralds—stones precious enough to turn the Queen's eye.  And the best part about it, mate, is that no one else knows about it but me."

    "That I find hard to believe," Will commented.

    "But it's the truth, mate," Jack made an insulted face. "I heard about it as a young lad, and everyone else who could have possibly been interested in it is dead."

     "So what's your plan?" Will sipped his steaming tea.

     "Find McClintock, borrow the dagger, find the treasure, and bring the dagger back," Jack shrugged. "Savvy?"

     "I don't think McClintock will let you _borrow_ the dagger, Jack," Will smiled. "He may not even let you in the front door."

     "Aye, but that's what you're for," Jack smirked. "A fine, upstanding man of moral character such as yourself surely wouldn't be associated with a black-hearted pirate, would you now?  I figure, if McClintock trusts you, he'll trust me."

     "There's your problem, Jack," Will was still smiling. "McClintock doesn't trust anyone.  I've seen his collection once because I've made two swords for him, but he doesn't let just anybody come in, he doesn't let anyone see his collection, and he certainly doesn't let anyone take anything out of his show room."

     "S'pose he'll let me make a copy?" 

     "I suppose anything's possible," Will grinned.

     "One thing's certain, he won't abide you at all in that get up, Jack," Elizabeth pointed out. "You'll need a bath and a clean change of clothes before you go to see him."

     "Elizabeth, darling," Jack scratched his nose, "are you trying to tell me something?"

     "If you don't want to be accused of being a pirate while you're here, Jack, you'd best not look like one," Elizabeth nodded. "I'll draw you a bath."

     She rose and hurried out of the room.

     Jack and Will watched her go.

     "Adjusted to poverty rather well, has she?" Jack smirked.

     "Yes," Will swirled his tea. "Yes, she has.  I was—I was afraid of taking her out of the environment she was used to.  The maids.  The butlers.  The fancy clothes and high society.  I was afraid—" 

     "Afraid she'd leave you?"

     "Aye," Will turned to look at Jack. "But she didn't.  She tells me every day that our love and our family is more important to her than all the high teas and hoop skirts in all of England."

     "And it's a shame you two don't get a long."

     Will laughed, "You haven't changed a bit, Jack."

     "You might be surprised," Jack leaned back in his seat.

     "Can I ask you something?"

     "Aye?"

     "How are you so certain that no one else will be coming after this Dragon's Claw?"

     "Let's just call it personal experience, mate," Jack smiled and stood up.

     "Jack?"  
     "Aye?"

     Will looked up at him.

     "I'll help you find McClintock," he vowed. "And I'll try to get the Claw from him for you.  But that's it.  No more adventures for me."

     "Pirate's in your blood, Will.  I've told you that before.  Sure you don't want to feel the spray of the sea on your face again?"

     "I'd love to, Jack," Will smiled faintly, "but there are more important things to me now than treasure hunts and adventures."

     Jack faced him fully.

     "I have a family now, Jack," Will continued somberly, "and I have a responsibility to them."  Will pursed his lips. "I want you to stay here the night, Jack, but after that—"

     "I don't want to impose."

     "You're not an imposition, Jack," Will shook his head, "but trouble does seem to follow you.  And I don't want anything to happen to my family.  They're all that matters to me, and I won't run the risk of them being hurt for any reason."

     "We're square, mate," Jack grinned. "I'd do the same if I were in your shoes."

     Will nodded, and Jack moved down the hallway to where Elizabeth had gone.

* * *

     He sat in silence smoking a pipe, tobacco smoke winding around his head.  The darkness of the room seemed immense as the moon remained behind a bank of clouds.   

     Jack had almost forgotten what it was like to be clean.  He had washed and scrubbed for nearly two hours before the thick layer of grime had come off.  Elizabeth and Will provided him with a pair of pants and a clean shirt to wear.  Regretfully, he had removed his bandanna and had tied his hair back, successfully hiding the braids and the beads.  On gazing at himself in the mirror, he barely recognized himself.

     He stared at his fingers, all traces of dirt scrubbed away.

     A knock sounded on the door.

     "Come in."

     The door opened, and Will stepped in.

     "All set?"

     "Aye," Jack answered, not moving from his position on the floor. "Trying to get used to being clean again."

     "Not a bad thing," Will came in and sat down next to him.

     "Not quite sure I like it," Jack lowered his pipe and smirked, "but Elizabeth has a point.  No way of getting into McClintock's good graces without presenting something of a positive persona."

     The moon slid fluidly from behind the clouds and shone bright light into the small room.  Will gazed for a moment at the numerous scars that covered Jack's arms and back.

     "Jack."

     "Aye?"

     "I don't want to be a pest."

     "But you want to know how I'm so sure I'm the only one after this treasure, is that it?"

     "Yes."

     Jack sighed heavily and stood, dragging heavily on his pipe and blowing the fragrant smoke out the open window.

     "Well," he cocked his head, "to understand the story, you'll have to understand something about me."

     "I'll never understand you, Jack," Will joked.

     "Aye, that's true," Jack grinned. 

     "What do I need to know?"

     "Well, for starters," Jack leaned his back on the windowsill and dragged on his pipe again, "I was born in London.  Lived there for well on seven years before my parents decided to take a little cruise to the Caribbean."

     "Your parents?"

     "Aye," Jack smirked. "Nobles."

     "Your parents were nobles?" Will sounded dubious. 

     "Hard to believe isn't it?" Jack spread his arms at his sides. "The infamous Captain Jack Sparrow, scallywag and gentleman of fortune, is the son of a nobleman who frequented the Queen's court." 

     "You're joking."

     "What?  You don't trust me?"

     "Of course, I trust you, Jack, but that's terribly difficult to believe."

     Jack sat down at Will's side again.

     "I was destined for the finest schools in England, mate," Jack was still grinning. "My parents had grand aspirations for me.  But they decided to take a little pleasure trip to the Caribbean, and on the way we ran into some misfortune."

     "Pirates?"

     "Aye," Jack turned away, "but not the kind you're accustomed to hearing about now-a-days."

     "What did they want?"

     "Blood," Jack set his empty pipe on the floor.  "The gold and the jewels and the women were a bonus, but ultimately their only goal was to kill everyone on board the ship.  And kill they did."

     "But you survived."

     "I was eight or so when they attacked the ship," Jack stared absently out the window. "I was outside watching the waves when the first shots rang out.  I think my parents were some of the first to go."

     "You think?"

     "I wasn't watching," Jack turned to him with a rueful smile. "When all the ruckus hit a highpoint, I sneaked aboard the other ship and hid in the hold.  To this day, I'm not really sure how long I was down there.  Could have been two weeks before they found me, but find me they did and dragged me topside to see the captain.  I can't remember the blackguard's name, but he was an old, toothless rat.  He wanted to kill me, but the first mate stopped him.  Apparently, they'd lost their cabin boy in the fight, and they needed a new one."

     "So you were elected?"

     "Mm," Jack nodded. "Life at sea as a captain is challenging enough, mate, but sea life as a cabin boy is one step lower than hell."

     Will pursed his lips as Jack turned and gazed at him.

     "You didn't think I started out as a captain, did you?" he smirked. "No.  No, I started out scrubbing decks and latrines, cooking, and washing, and I had more than my fair share of whippings, I tell you."  He cursed. "I hated that man."

     "I had no idea, Jack."

     "Most people don't," Jack stretched out on the wooden floor. 

     "But what does this have to do with the dagger?"

     "You see, Will," Jack looked up at him, "the old captain wasn't just old.  He was ancient.  He'd been around the world at least five times.  When he was younger, he went on a voyage to China."

     "China?"

     "Aye," Jack nodded, "and—well—we really don't know what happened there, but somehow he got his hands on the Dragon's Claw.  We figured he killed some poor bloke and stole it.  That was his way, after all."

     Will arched his eyebrows.

     "It was a beautiful piece," Jack's gaze returned to the window. "Beautiful.  Worth more money than I've ever seen."

    "I thought you said it was worthless."

    "As a weapon, yes.  But as a treasure, absolutely not.  There's not an ounce of steel on the whole bloody thing.  All gold and silver and jewels.  The hilt's of jade and ivory, stained red and carved like a dragon.  And all over it were these little symbols.  I never got a really good look at it."

     "What happened to it?"

     "Well," Jack said, "one night, the old captain drank a bit too much wine.  The first mate found him dead in his cabin the next morning.  At least, that was the official story.  But I didn't care.  The old fool was dead.  The first mate became captain, and, frankly, life turned a lot more cheery."

     "How?"

     "Well, Jenkins—that was the first mate—liked me.  Don't really know why.  But he did.  He let me work up through the ranks on the ship 'til I was actually doing real sailing work.  Jenkins taught me everything I know about the sea."  

     "Really?"

     "Aye," Jack's face looked suddenly sad. "He was like a father to me."  

     He cleared his throat, and whatever emotion had been present in his eyes disappeared.

     Jenkins also got the dagger," he continued. "He kept it in his cabin, locked up in the safe.  No one was allowed to see it."

     Will folded his arms around his legs, eyes still focusing on Jack.

     "About a year after the old captain died," Jack sighed, "we ran into trouble.  I was fifteen if I remember right.  It was a dark night.  New moon and cloudy.  A ship ran up on our starboard side and started blasting us.  Before we knew it, they were boarding.  We couldn't get to the guns fast enough.  The sneaky blackguards moved faster than I'd ever seen.  They wore black—masks and gloves.  No boots.  Some kind of sandal.  And the just killed.  Never seen anything like it."  His voice trailed off. "Heard one of the names—something like Wang Yu Shon or Shon Yu Wing.  Something."

     Jack stood and walked to the window.

     "They wanted the dagger," he said. "Something about it being a matter of honor.  I saw them take the dagger.  I saw them kill Jenkins, and I fell overboard."

     Will was silent.

     "A few days later, the British fleet picked me up," Jack shrugged.  "Locked me up, but I got out.  I found the _Pearl _when I was twenty or so, and the rest is history."

     Will cleared his throat, "Why is the dagger important now?"

     "I heard that McClintock had it," Jack answered, the sparkle returning to his eyes, "so I figured, why not?"

     "And you're certain no one else knows about this treasure?"

     "From what I understand, Will," Jack grinned, "McClintock's had the dagger for ten years, and no one's even tried to take it from him." Jack turned to him. "The way I see it, if these fellows needed to reclaim their honor, they'd have taken it back from him years ago."

     Will nodded.

     "Thanks for telling me, Jack."

     "Don't mention it," Jack shrugged, still gazing out the window. "And I mean," he turned to Will, "don't mention it.  The last thing I need is people thinking I've got a heart."


	5. Chapter Four: The Dragon's Claw

**Pirates of the Caribbean**

**Legend of the Dragon's Claw**

**By Amos Whirly**

**Chapter Four: The Dragon's Claw**

     "I cannot believe I let you talk me into this," Jack mumbled, staring at his reflection in Elizabeth's full-length mirror. "I'm not going outside in this—this—rubbish!"

     "Well, you didn't want to be noticed, did you?" Elizabeth huffed.

     "_Noticed_, Elizabeth, dear?" Jack glared at her. "The whole bloody town won't be able to _stop_ noticing me!"

     Will sat in the corner trying not to laugh.

     Jack wore a pair of Will's nicest breeches and an ornate overcoat that had belonged to Elizabeth's father, the former governor of Port Royal.  The overcoat was bright turquoise with gold trim all around the hem and cuffs.  His shirt was billowy and lacy around the collar, spilling out of the neckline and the cuffs like a waterfall.  A long blue cape fell off his shoulders and nearly dragged the ground, and, to top it all off, Jack wore one of Will's hats, the brown one with the bent brim and the large black and white feather.

     "You didn't want to be mistaken for a pirate, Jack," Elizabeth insisted, "and in that outfit you won't be."

     "I don't want to _know_ what I'll be mistaken for in this getup," Jack griped, pulling at the hem of the coat. 

     "You know, Jack, she's right," Will commented, standing up. "You don't look like a pirate."

     "Agreed," Jack snorted, glaring at his reflection again. "At least pirates have some sense of style.  I think I've changed me mind.  Let's just storm the place, steal the dagger, and forget all this costuming nonsense!"

     "No," Will nodded firmly.

     Jack glared at the mirror again and pouted.

     "It's still missing something," Elizabeth murmured, tapping her chin. "Ah!  That's it!"

     "Oh, dear," Jack groaned as Elizabeth darted from the room. "What's she going to do to me now?"

     The rustle of her skirts announced her return.  She held out a long black cane with a golden handle.

     "Perfect," she smiled. 

     "It's only for a day, Jack," Will was fighting the urge to smile.

     "Only for a day," Jack nodded and flipped the cane over his arm.

     A giggle sounded from the doorway, and Tori peeked inside.

     "Ah, Miss Victoria," Jack bowed low, "how do I look, darling?"

     "Silly."

* * *

     "So much for not drawing attention," Jack mumbled as he and Will walked casually down the main street of Port Royal. 

     Merchants in every booth stopped their activity to watch the odd couple pass.

     "Just ignore them, Jack," Will chuckled.

     "This is ridiculous," Jack hissed, keeping pace with his taller friend. "I hate this hat."

     "You told me you liked it."

     "I lied."

     "There it is," Will stopped and gestured to a large building at the end of the dirt street. "That's McClintock's house."

     Will walked faster.  They reached the doors quickly.

     The house was enormous with three levels with a wraparound porch on the ground level and balconies on the third.  The windows were huge and sparkled as if they had just been cleaned.

     "Now, Jack," Will turned to him.

     "Mm?"

     "Let me do the talking, all right?"

     "I'm the one who's after the dagger, Will."

     "Yes, but McClintock doesn't like rude people."

     "Are you saying I'm rude?"

     "You're a pirate, aren't you?"

     Jack thought for a moment.

     "Good point," he tapped Will's chest. "You talk."  

     Will moved to knock on the door when a voice called out from the other side of the porch, "Mr. Turner!  What a pleasant surprise!"

     Will and Jack turned and stared.

     "Oh, dear," Jack tried to hide his face.

     "Admiral Norrington!" Will swallowed hard. "How good to see you, sir."

     The tall, imposing admiral stepped close to Will and shook his hand.

     "I trust all is well with you?"

     "Of course, sir," Will answered nervously, surveying Norrington's official uniform with poorly concealed anxiety.

     "And Elizabeth?"

     "She's doing quite well, sir," Will nodded, praying that Norrington would ignore Jack.

     "And Victoria?"

     "Precocious as ever, sir."

     "Excellent.  Are you here for McClintock?"

     "Yes, sir.  Have you been to see him?"

     "No, I was just in the area and was checking to see if he had accepted any visits from strangers recently."

     "Strangers?" Will gulped.

     "Aye," Norrington replied, the breeze tossing his white curls around beneath his three-cornered hat. "Word has gotten out, it seems, about McClintock and his vast collection of swords.  Apparently, he was trying to keep the knowledge of his collection quiet, and one of his servants managed to leak the news at one of the local taverns."

     "That's too bad, sir."

     "Indeed," Norrington sighed regally. "I'm just certain that we'll some pirate activity as a result."  Norrington's eyes suddenly narrowed. "And speaking of strangers, Turner, who is your friend?"

     Jack stifled the urge to wince as he faced Norrington.

     "Um," Will took a deep breath. "This is Smith.  He's a—a—" he chuckled, "a distant cousin of my aunt's nephew twice removed."

     "_Gutentach_," Jack grunted.

     "From France," Will continued.

     "France?" Norrington looked askance at Jack.

     "_Ja_," Jack clapped his hands together.

     Norrington raised one eyebrow and stood straighter.

     "Very well, Turner, Smith," he nodded to each in turn. "Carry on."

     And he turned and walked away.

     Jack and Will watched him go, neither daring to breathe until he had passed out of sight.  The moment he walked around a corner, Jack whacked Will on the head with his cane.

     "_French_?" he hissed. "That was German!"

     "How was I supposed to know?" Will yanked the cane away from him. "At least I didn't say you were a eunuch."

     "Heh-heh-heh," Jack snorted. "Distant cousin of your aunt's nephew twice removed.  Wonder where you got that from?  You're a terrible liar."

     "I'm sorry, Jack.  I don't make a habit of it."

     "We'll have to hurry."

     "Why?" Will knocked on the door. "Norrington fell for it."

     "If Norrington fell for that act, I'll wear this outfit for a week."

     The door opened, and a well-dressed butler answered.

     "May I help you?" he asked.

     "Yes," Will bowed in return. "William Turner to see Mr. McClintock."

     "Please, come in, Master Turner," the butler gestured for them to enter. 

     He led them to an extravagant anteroom.

     "Wait here, please."

     "Nice, nice, very nice," Jack started wandering around the room.

     "Don't touch anything," Will warned.

     "Don't touch anything," Jack mocked and poked the face of a huge grandfather clock. 

     The clock chimed the moment Jack's finger touched its face, and Jack shouted, jumping back and crashing into the table at the center of the room!  Will managed to catch the centerpiece before it tumbled off the edge of the table.

     Jack offered a smile to Will, but Will did not return it.  So Jack twined his fingers and stood patiently.

     In a few moments, though, a booming voice echoed throughout the house.

     "William Turner, lad!" the voice shouted as the side doors burst open, and a huge man bounced into the anteroom. "Fantastic!"

     The enormous man caught Will in a bone-crushing bear hug and laughed loud enough to rattle the windows.  

     Jack stared blankly for a moment. 

     The man had to be at least six and a half feet tall.  His hair was shoulder-length and carrot red, and his eyes were blue.  The man also wore a kilt.  Jack tilted his head and cocked his eyebrow.

     "And who might this be?" the man guffawed, snatching Jack up in a bear hug too and squeezing until Jack thought his lungs would burst.

     "Mr. McClintock, this is—uh—Smith," Will stumbled. "A distant relative of mine."

     McClintock dropped them both on the tile and grabbed Jack's hand, pumping it up and down wildly. 

     "A pleasure to be meetin' ye, Mr. Smith," he babbled. "A true pleasure it is."

     Jack laughed primly.

     "Well, laddie, whot kin I be doin' for ye?" McClintock grabbed Will around the neck.

     "Smith, here," Will gestured at Jack, who smiled innocently, "is interested in swords, and he wanted to look at one he heard rumor that you had in your collection."

     "And which one might that be, laddie?" McClintock's eyes suddenly narrowed.

     "The Dragon's Claw," Jack said before he could stop himself.

     Will glared at him, but McClintock did not notice.

     "Aye, the Dragon's Claw," McClintock nodded. "Quite a rare specimen, if I do say so meself.  I've had pictures made of it just because it's so unique."  McClintock eyed Will suspiciously and shrugged. "Why not?  Come with me!"

     He moved into another room, gesturing for Will and Jack to follow.

     They passed case after case after case of beautiful antique swords, each polished to perfection and displayed elaborately.  Finally, they reached a candlelit room draped in crimson satin.  At the center of the room was a stand, upon which sat the most intricately carved weapon Will had ever seen in his life.

     Indeed, the hilt was jade and ivory, but it was stained with red in all the carved crevices.  Rubies blinked in the eyes of the dragon on the hilt, and emeralds sparkled in the tang.  The blade curved and was made of gold and silver and encrusted with sapphires and diamonds.

     "The Dragon's Claw," McClintock gestured to it.

     Will peered closer at it, and his breath caught in his throat.

     Engraved in the ivory, which made the dragon's belly, were strange symbols, dyed green.

     "It's marvelous," Will tore his eyes away from it to look at McClintock, and he felt his heart stop.

     Jack stood in front of the huge Scottish man with a sly grin on his clean face.

     "Truly marvelous indeed," Jack was saying. "Do you happen to know what the little symbols on the little lizard's underbelly mean?"

     Will felt his stomach falling as McClintock's face hardened.

     "If ye're referring to the treasure it's supposed to lead to—"

     "Treasure?  What treasure?" Jack backpedaled quickly, immediately sensing the man's change of tone.

     McClintock's eyes narrowed to slits.

     Jack and Will smacked into the dusty street outside McClintock's mansion as the huge Scot himself threw them out.  The doors slammed behind them.

     Jack rolled over and began to dust himself off.

     "Well, that went better than it could have."

     Will grumbled something inaudible into the dirt and scrambled to his feet, stomping back toward his house.

     "Hey!" Jack scurried after him. "Where do you think you're going?  We have to get that dagger."

     "Jack," Will stopped and glared at him. "I told you I would get you in to see McClintock.  I told you I would get you in to see the dagger.  I even told you I would try to get the dagger for you."

     "And you did wonderful job, all but for the last part."

     "I was working on it when you opened your mouth!  I told you to let me do the talking!"

     "Well, excuse me for trying to make your job a little easier!" 

     "Oh, for pity's sake," Will shook his head and looked at the sky. "Look, Jack.  It's almost lunchtime.  Let's go.  We'll think better after eating.   We'll try again, but we're not going to steal it."

     "Oh, then how do you propose to get it?"

     "I don't know," Will sighed, "but we'll think of something."

     Jack stopped suddenly and glared at him.

     "I'm not wearing a dress, mate.  This getup is bad enough, but if your wife tries to put me in a dress next time to keep me from being _noticed_, I'll go bloody steal the thing on me own!"

     As the two of them moved down the street together, a man in the shadows of an alleyway behind them watched their every move.  Beneath his concealing cloak, he grasped a sheath carved of ivory and jade.


	6. Chapter Five: Enemies in Black

**Pirates of the Caribbean**

**Legend of the Dragon's Claw**

**By Amos Whirly**

**Chapter Five: Enemies in Black**

     Jack and Will stood on the porch in silence, watching the townspeople walk past on the street.  Will sipped a cup of tea absently, and Jack gnawed on an apple with a gleam in his eyes.

     "We could sneak in as maids," Jack suggested. "All I'd need is a real good look at the dagger."

     "Jack," Will turned to him, "have you even really seen the dagger's hilt up close?"

     "Well," Jack crossed his arms, "not—really." 

     "I thought not," Will remarked. "I looked at the markings before you got us thrown out.  They look totally foreign.  I don't think there's any way to interpret them at all."

     "Well, what about the pictures?" Jack tossed his apple core into the street. 

     "Pictures?"  
     "McClintock said he'd had pictures made of the dagger.  If we could get our hands on those, then we wouldn't have to have the dagger itself.  Savvy?"

     "Jack, you never give up, do you?"

     "Never."

     Will sighed and sat down on the edge of the porch.

     "How's about we go back at sundown, sneak in, and snatch a peek at those pictures?" Jack edged closer to him. "What say you?"

     "All you want to do is look, Jack?" Will looked hard at him. "That's all?  No pilfering?  No pirating?  No plundering?"

     "Just peeking, mate."

     Will looked away.

     "All right."

     "We can get in the back way easy enough," Jack began to scheme. "I scoped it out on the way in.  If we wear something inconspicuous, no one should know the difference.  And _no_, Elizabeth can't handle the costumes this time."

     The sun set over the horizon slowly, a fiery orb plunging beneath the surface of the Atlantic.  It shone red-gold beams of light over Port Royal, lengthening the shadows of the palm trees.

     Will and Jack moved quietly through the streets, neither daring to speak a word.  Very few people were moving around the city, and they were able to walk the distance from Will's house to McClintock's mansion virtually unnoticed.  

     This time they both wore dark pants and boots.  Jack wore the same white blouse as before, but he was wearing his bandana and his hat.  Will wore a gray blouse with a dark vest. 

     When they arrived at McClintock's mansion, they knelt in the shadows across the street. 

     "So what now?" Will asked.   

     "There should be a servant's door around the rear," Jack answered, sneaking toward the house and creeping around the edge.

     Elizabeth stood by the large, open window in her and Will's bedroom, letting the cool evening breeze breathe through her thick hair.  She gazed at the darkening sky and sighed heavily.

     "Mum?" 

     She turned toward the voice.

     Tori was gazing up at her from the doorway.

     "Yes, darling?"

     "Where's Papa and Mr. Smith?"

     "They've gone for a walk, dear."

     "Oh," Tori looked down. 

     "What's that sad face for?" Elizabeth laughed and caught the girl in her arms, hugging her close. 

     "Couldn't I have gone with them?"

     "Oh, Tori, darling," Elizabeth kissed the girl's forehead. "Papa and Mr. Smith had something important to do."

     Tori nodded.

     "Come now," Elizabeth hugged the girl tighter. "Let's read a book, shall we?"

     "Really, Mum?  What about Little Will?"

     "He's asleep," Elizabeth glanced fondly at the little cradle in the corner. 

     "Aye, n' he'd sleep through anything!"

     "That's right," Elizabeth grinned and nuzzled her nose against her daughter's nose. "What shall we read then?"

     Elizabeth moved out of the bedroom and started down the hall.

     Behind them, the bedroom curtains swayed in the breeze, billowing open as a figure clad in black slipped through the window and into the shadows of the bedroom.

     "Here," Jack shoved a mop into Will's hands.

     "What am I supposed to do with this?"

     "It's a mop, Will," Jack smirked. "Figure it out, eh?"

     Will turned his head as a footstep sounded nearby.  Jack grabbed him, and they both jumped into the closet, shutting the door quietly behind them.

     "This is madness, Jack," Will hissed.

     "Sh!" Jack hushed, peering through a crack in the door.

     The butler from their previous visit bustled in front of the door carrying a dinner tray.

     "All right," Jack mumbled as soon as the butler disappeared from sight, "through this room and to the left is the hallway we came down when McClintock was taking us to the dagger.  If you remember, Will, that dagger was sitting on a stand."

     "Aye?"

     "Did you see the drawer under it?"

     "No," Will answered, gripping the mop with white-knuckled fingers. "Do you think that's where the pictures will be?"

     "Makes sense, doesn't it?"

     "Sounds too obvious to me."

     "McClintock's a Scot," Jack scoffed. "How complicated can he be?"

     "Now or never, Jack."

     "Aye," Jack pushed the door open, and the two of them ran out.

     Elizabeth's eyes shifted as something crashed in the kitchen.  She furrowed her brow and glanced down at Tori who was still gazing at the open page of the fairytale book in Elizabeth's hands.

     "Stay here, Tori," Elizabeth kissed the girl's cheek and stood. 

     "Where you going, Mum?"

     "I have to check something in the kitchen," Elizabeth patted Tori's head. 

     Tori settled herself in the corner of the upholstered chair and hugged the book close, saying, "Hurry, Mum!  We're just at the good part!"

     Elizabeth smiled and walked toward the kitchen.

     She stopped outside the doorway, though and peered into the shadows.

     _Why didn't you bring a candle, stupid?_ she asked herself, taking a step closer to the darkened room.

     The toe of her left slipper landed on the threshold of the kitchen.

     "Hello?" she asked softly. "Is someone there?"

     An eerie silence had settled over the house.  Elizabeth swore she could hear the movement of the flames on the candlewicks.

     Something moved in the darkness of the kitchen.  Or had she imagined it?

     Her eyes narrowed in suspicion. 

     "Mum?" Tori asked from across the room.

     Elizabeth took a step backward, and the light from the living room, unobstructed by her backside, sparkled off something silvery in the shadows—

     Something exploded.

     The force of the blast blew Will and Jack off their feet and through a wall!  They rolled in a storm of lath and plaster, pieces of the roof raining down around them like hailstones.  Screams of the servants reverberated off the walls.  Flames lapped hungrily at the dried wood on the floors and the fine carpets in the halls.

     Jack was cursing about something.  Will struggled to his feet and gripped his arm in pain, a large gash starting at the inside of his elbow and cutting a jagged, bloody trail to the top of his wrist.

     "Jack!" he shouted over the roaring of the fires.

     "Aye," Jack mumbled, stumbling up and shaking his head violently.  

     His shirt was bloody.

     "Are you all right?"

     "Fine," Jack did not look at him. "Dagger.  Now."

     He raced back into the hallway.  Will spat and ran after him.

     They ran as fast as their legs could carry them, but Jack came to a halt immediately when they set foot in the dagger room.  Will stopped next to him.

     "You!" the man in the room shouted.

     "McClintock," Will whispered.

     McClintock stood at the center of the room, clutching the Dragon's Claw in his right hand.  Blood poured from his nose and mouth, and a bloody wound on his leg stained his pants scarlet.

     "I shoulda known you'd come for it!" he ranted. "Bloody peasants!"

     His eyes were wild.

     "McClintock," Will took a step forward.

     Jack stopped him.

     "Ha!" McClintock gurgled, spitting blood on the floor. "It's mine!  And someday I'll find the treasure that goes with—" He stopped in mid-sentence, his angry expression melting away as his eyes began to dim.

     Will and Jack watched as he fell forward.

     McClintock crashed into the floor at Will and Jack's feet, a large throwing knife buried in his back.

     Will and Jack exchanged a glance, and Jack lunged for the body, grabbing the dagger out of McClintock's hand just as the flames spread to the curtains in the room.

     "Wait!" Will shouted. 

     He grabbed the stand from the center of the room and nodded at Jack.  

     The bolted out of the room together and raced down the hallway, feeling the heat of the fire all around them.  They burst into the anteroom at the front of the house.  Will caught his breath.  

     The butler and three servants lay dead on the floor.  

     Decapitated.

     "Oo," Jack narrowed one eye as he tucked the dagger into his belt. "Gone and lost their heads I see."

     "That's not funny, Jack!" Will shouted, yanking the drawer on the stand open and pulling the envelope inside out. "We have to get out of here before Norrington arrives.  We'll be blamed for all of this."

     "I'm wondering who blew this tomb up," Jack commented as he and Will headed quickly for the back door. "And who put that knife in McClintock's back.  I mean, after all, that's not a very gentlemanly—" Jack suddenly pitched forward and fell.

     Will whirled around to see a knife shooting through the air—!

     He ducked to the right, and the knife buried in the wall.  Jack was scrambling up, grasping awkwardly at his back with an expression of intense pain on his face.  Will saw the knife in Jack's shoulder and stopped him from grabbing it.

     "Leave it in," Will grabbed Jack's shoulder. "We have to get out of here!"

     Jack allowed Will to help him up, and they kept running.  Will grimaced as another knife whistled over his right shoulder.

     "Just keep running, Jack!" 

     Will's left foot hit something hard, and he plunged forward.  His left arm hit Jack's lower back, and both of them tumbled to the dirt outside McClintock's mansion.

     Will rolled over just in time to see a black figure lunging at him!

     She barely missed the blade.

     Elizabeth saw the sword just before it thrust out of the darkness of the kitchen, and she barely moved out of the way in time!  She dodged it with a cry and whirled around, grabbing a tall lantern from the corner and turning back the kitchen.

     Out of the shadows stepped a sinister figure dressed totally in black, a shining sword in one hand.

     "Mum!" Tori screeched from the chair.

     "Tori, go!" Elizabeth ordered.

     Tori scrambled out of the chair and ran for the door, but she shrieked.

     Elizabeth turned her head.  Another figure in black had appeared and was holding Tori off the ground.

     The figure from the kitchen suddenly lunged.  Elizabeth blocked his first thrust with the pole and whirled around, smacking the base into the man's head.  He reeled slightly but lunged again.

     "Mum!" Tori cried again.

     He rolled out of the way and ducked under a whistling sword, and he snatched a stick off the ground, jerking it above his head.  The blade cut cleanly through the stick.  Will threw one half at his attacker and dodged another blow.  He swung around and jabbed the stick into his attacker's midsection.

     The assailant grunted in pain and drove his elbow into Will's jaw.  Will grabbed at the man's belt as he fell backward, ripping it off.  As he fell, his eyes saw a green sheath on the belt.  He snatched it out of the air and brought it quickly above his head to stop the sword again.

     The blade hit the sheath with a clang, and the attacker stopped with a gasp of shock.  Will acted quickly, punching the man hard in the ribcage.  The man stumbled backward, and Jack jumped on him with a punch so vicious it sent the man reeling.  He recovered quickly, though, and kicked Jack's legs out from under him.  

     The man grabbed the Dragon's Claw out of Jack's belt with a fluid movement, but Jack kicked the man's knee as he feel.  The man tumbled in the dirt and scrambled to his feet. 

     Will and Jack approached him.  He narrowed his black eyes at them, clenched his fist around the hilt of the Dragon's Claw.  He shouted at them in a foreign language, pointed at Will, and ran into the shadows.

     Will and Jack stood in silence for a moment before they both gazed at the sheath in Will's hand.

     It was crafted of jade and ivory in the same style as the Dragon's Claw.

     "It goes with your eyes, mate," Jack offered a weary smile.

     Will did not return it as his eyes swept the line of the city.

     "What's that?" he nodded to the north.

     Jack traced his eyes.

     "Smoke," Jack muttered. 

     "I know it's smoke," Will whispered as his fingers clenched the sheath.

     He suddenly began to run, a cold knot of fear welling in the pit of his stomach.  Will ran faster than he had ever run in his life.  He felt his legs giving out, but he pushed them harder.

     And he stopped in horror as he approached the burning house.

     His house.

     Terror seized his heart in an ice-cold grip, and, even though he knew better, he bolted toward the front door.  He burst into the burning house, choking on the smoke that filled the living room and blinded his eyes.  He stumbled around, desperately searching for anything alive.  

     He stumbled over something and glanced down through the black haze.

     "Elizabeth!" 

     The slight woman was crumpled on the floor.  Without thinking, Will gathered her in his arms and hurried for the door.  He stumbled down the steps and into the dirt street.  Neighbors had already gathered.

     "Will."

     "Hang on, darling," he propped her up in his arms.

     "Willie.  Little Will.  Still inside."

     Will felt like cursing.  He lay his wife down and raced back into the burning house toward his bedroom.

     Jack stumbled onto the scene and limped to where he saw Elizabeth laying. 

     "Elizabeth?" he knelt next to her and took her hand. "Elizabeth?"

     "Jack," she gazed blankly up at him. "Tori.  They took Tori."

     Will tripped on the threshold of his bedroom door and fought through the smoke to where Little Will's cradle rested.  He reached inside and felt the child within.  He grabbed the baby in his arms and held him close, turning for the door just as the main support of the ceiling crumbled.  Fiery timbers crashed all around him.  He turned and raced for the window, leaping out just as the bedroom ceiling fell in.

     Jack gaped in terror as Will's house collapsed, but he breathed a sigh of relief as Will rushed around the other side of the house, clutching a wailing bundle in his arms.

     Will fell next to his wife, breathing hard.  Neighbors were bustling around, not really sure what they should do.

     "Is he all right?" Jack glanced at the baby.

     "Fine," Will handed the crying child to Jack. "He's fine.  Not burnt at all."

     Jack looked panicked as Will lay the infant in his arms, but Will did not notice.  Will gathered Elizabeth in his arms again.

     "Where's Tori, Elizabeth?  Tell me she wasn't inside."

     "She's gone," Elizabeth struggled to say.

     Will started as he felt something warm against his side.

     "Elizabeth—Jack!"

     Her side was covered in blood.  Her skirts were soaked in it.

     "Elizabeth!  Elizabeth, what happened?  Tell me what happened!"

     "They—They—" she struggled. "They wore black."

     She slumped against Will's chest and did not move.


	7. Chapter Six: An Unexpected Friend

**Pirates of the Caribbean**

**Legend of the Dragon's Claw**

**By Amos Whirly**

**Chapter Six: An Unexpected Friend**

     Will sat in silence, tenderly stroking his wife's hand.  Elizabeth lay on the bed in the guest room of the governor's mansion.  Little Will, who had been uninjured in the attack, was asleep in the adjoining room, being doted on by numerous maidservants.  

     Elizabeth was sleeping peacefully, finally out of danger from the wounds she had sustained.  Governor Billings had insisted that Will and his family come to stay at the mansion.  Billings had been a good friend of the late Governor Swann, Elizabeth's father, who had passed away two years prior.  As soon as Billings learned that Elizabeth had been hurt, he called for his best doctors.

     Will had hardly left her side, only to check on his son and listen for word on his missing daughter.

     After getting Elizabeth settled, Jack had completely disappeared.  Will had no idea where the pirate had gone, but at the moment, he really did not care.

     Will's ears twitched as he heard the bedroom door open.  Billings stepped in and stopped at his side.

     "How is she?" the diminutive governor asked.

     "She'll survive," Will whispered, still stroking her hand. "Thank you."

     "It's the least I could do, Mr. Turner.  The very least." Billings cleared his throat. "Your—um—friend—Mr. Smith—?"

     "Yes?" 

     "He is waiting for you downstairs."

     "Thank you."

     Billings thumped Will on the shoulder and stepped from the room.  Will stood slowly and kissed his wife's brow.  She stirred only slightly under his touch but did not wake.  Will caressed the side of her face and quietly exited the room. 

     He hurried down the stairs and stepped into the parlor.  Jack sat nonchalantly on a large upholstered chair, his old hat perched on his head, and his hair back to its normal style—dreadlocks and beads.  He still wore Will's old blouse, though, but he had traded the breeches and clogs for a pair of dark pants and his old boots.  A wide black belt spanned his chest, and his old sword hung from it.

     "How is she?" he asked with a somber face the moment Will stepped into the parlor.

     "She'll make it," Will answered, sitting down across from him on the footstool. "What about you?"

     "I made it back to the—" he stopped, glancing at the doorway.  

     Will nodded and stood, stepping to the double doors and shutting them softly.  

      "I made it back to the _Pearl_," Jack finished his thought as soon as the doors were shut, "and Anamaria stitched me up."  He gestured to his shoulder. 

     "Were they attacked?"

     "No," Jack shook his head. "I had them stop the _Pearl_ in a cove on the side of the harbor.  It would've taken a lot more searching than those hooligans had tie for to find her.  Gibbs did send some men out to watch the fight, though."

     "And what did they see?"  
     "Said they sunk the three navy ships in port."

     "Sunk them?"

     "Aye.  The _Hermes_, the _Wellington_, and the _Dauntless_."

     "The _Dauntless_?"

     "Aye.  Rotting at the bottom of the harbor she is."

     Will's shoulders slumped.

     "If all the ships are sunk," he whispered, "how is the navy going to go after them?"

     "They aren't," Jack deadpanned. "Red coats didn't see which way the ship went."

     "And the _Pearl_?  Did your crew see?"  
     "Aye.  They saw.  But if we go after them, we have to go fast.  The wind won't keep for long."

     Will looked down, his brown eyes clouding. 

     "I can't leave Elizabeth."

     "And Tori?  What about her?"

     The parlor doors suddenly burst open!  Will and Jack were on their feet in an instant, standing before a grim-faced Admiral James Norrington.

     "Well, well, well," Norrington's scowl chilled Will to the tips of his toes. "Jack Sparrow, isn't it?"

     "_Captain_ Jack Sparrow," Jack smirked.

     "Mr. Turner, explain this."

     "I've no need to explain anything to you, Admiral."

     "Jack Sparrow is a known felon, pirate, and brigand."

     "_Captain_ if you please," Jack interjected.

     "He has been for years," Norrington ignored him. "You're very much aware of this if I'm not mistaken."

     "Like I said, James," Will stepped between Norrington and Jack, "I've no need to explain anything to you."

     Norrington's gaze shifted to Jack.

     "Maybe it was you who let those pirates in, eh, Sparrow?  Are you sailing with a new crowd, now?  Are you aware of how many people they killed tonight?"

     "I'm not with them," Jack curled his lip. "I never sail with bad dressers."

     "How you could accept this man into your house—well knowing what he is capable of—is beyond me, Turner," Norrington stepped closer to Will. "Elizabeth has paid the price for your stupidity, and so now will your daughter."

     The muscles in Will's jaw clenched, and he and Norrington glared at each other.  Jack stood behind Will, his gaze shifting between the men almost nervously.  Slowly, Norrington reached for his sword.  He pulled it out, gripped the blade in two fingers, and offered the hilt to Will.

     Will stared at him, confused.

     "Go," Norrington jerked his head toward the parlor doors.

     "What?"

     Jack cocked an eyebrow.

     "Go after them, Turner."

     "I don't understand."

     "Our ships are lost," Norrington held Will's gaze. "It will be days before any other ship of the fleet will be near enough to catch them.  I know the _Black Pearl_ is floating off the Harbor."

     "And how do you know that, mate?" Jack piped up indignantly.

     "I saw it yesterday," Norrington glowered at him. "You're still the worst pirate I've ever heard of."

     Jack grinned from ear to ear and bowed slightly.

     "As much as I hate to admit it," Norrington was still scowling, "you two are the only ones who can catch these blighters."

     "I thought they were working for me?" Jack set his hands on his hips.

     "I just said you were a horrible pirate, Sparrow," Norrington spat. "There's no way on this green earth you could command the pack of murderers that passed through here tonight."

     "So," Jack stepped closer to Norrington, "Will and I go after the ship that attacked your harbor, and you're just going to stand there."

     "No, Sparrow.  I am going to ensure that Elizabeth receives the finest care available in Port Royal, and I will also ensure that no other royal ship deters you from your goal."

     "And what is our goal, Admiral?" Will asked.

     "To save your daughter, Turner.  Go save your daughter."

     Slowly, Will accepted the sword from Norrington.

     "You could lose your rank for this," Will remarked.

     "If it hadn't been for you and—and him," Norrington frowned, "we all would have lost Elizabeth six years ago.  I'm not about to stand in the way of saving your daughter's life, Turner, loss of rank or not."

* * *

     The infant boy squealed with delight as his father lifted him out of his crib.

     "Bye, Little Will," Will kissed his son's small forehead. "Be good while I'm away."

     The infant clutched a lock of his father's brown hair and gurgled.

     "Don't you worry about a thing, young sir," one of the maids came up behind him. "We'll take good care of him for you."

     "I know you will," Will handed the child to the maid.

     He stroked the boy's head gently and left the room.  He sneaked into the guest chambers and stared at his wife for a moment.

     She was so beautiful, lying there in the bed, her honey-gold hair spread out like silk upon the pillow.  He took a deep breath and knelt beside the bed, capturing her hand in his and stroking it softly.

     "I must go away, Elizabeth," he whispered. "I have to find Tori.  I won't let anything happen to her, I swear to you.  James is going to watch over everything while I'm gone." He kissed her fingers. "I love you."

     "I love you too, Will," Elizabeth turned her head and opened her eyes. 

     They were brimming with tears.

     "I'll bring her back."

     "I know you will," she attempted a smile.

     Will kissed her forehead.

     "Sleep."

     Elizabeth nodded and closed her eyes.

     With a parting kiss to her lips, Will hurried from the room.

     Will, Jack, and Admiral Norrington walked together down the dark Port Royal street.  The sun was barely beginning to peek over the horizon, showering red light over the sky, still clinging to the last vestiges of midnight.

     "This is as far as I go," Norrington stopped at the end of town, his face still grim.

     "I can't thank you enough," Will extended his hand. 

     Norrington accepted his hand and shook it firmly.

     "Go, Turner," he urged. "And you—" he glared at Jack, "bring the girl home."

     "For the first time, Admiral," Jack stood straight, "we're on the same page, you and me."

     "The first and only time."

     "Aye."

     "This won't change our relationship in anyway, pirate.  You understand this."

     "Of course.  Life'll get back to bloody normal as soon as we nab the little ankle-biter.  I run.  You chase.  Savvy?"

     Norrington nodded.

     Jack and Will turned and walked quickly out of sight.


	8. Chapter Seven: On the Trail

**Pirates of the Caribbean**

**Legends of the Dragon's Claw**

**By Amos Whirly**

**Chapter Seven: On the Trail**

     Will grasped the rigging with a white-knuckled fist as the _Pearl _slammed into a large wave.  He threw a glance over his shoulder toward the helm where Jack was steering the ship.  His tanned face was tight with concentration.

     Gibbs was running around making sure all was running smoothly, and Anamaria was shouting at the other sailors, something rude and loud to make them hurry.

     Will smiled faintly to himself.  It had been good to see the crew again.  

     Gibbs was exactly the same—short, balding, and always drinking from his hip flask.  The jolly sparkle had not left his eye.  Will wondered if he still told his far-fetched stories.

     Anamaria had not changed much either.  Dark, beautiful, and explosive.  At the moment she was shouting at some poor sailor who had not tied a knot correctly.

     With a scowl, Will jumped down from the ledge and worked his way to where Jack was standing.

     "Storm's moving in," Jack said before Will could speak. "Tell Gibbs to drop canvas."

     "Won't that slow us down?" Will frowned.

     "Aye," Jack was solemn, "but better to slow down and still have a ship, mate."

     Will nodded.

     "Will."

     He turned around.

     "The sea makes all men equal, mate," Jack offered a cocky smile. "This storm'll slow them up too."

     Will nodded again and went to find Gibbs.

* * *

     The huge wave knocked Will off his feet and into the side of the ship.  The _Pearl _lurched violently, massive waves of icy water spilling on deck and washing anything not tied down into the black depths of the sea.  Jack was still fighting with the helm.

     Will grabbed the rope that had come untied and quickly began to tighten it, desperately trying to remember what Jack had taught him about sailing six years earlier. 

     Another wave plowed into the _Pearl_.  Will clung to the rope until he thought his fingers would break as the wave broke on the deck, snapping lines and dragging barrels and supplies into the darkness.

     "Will!" 

     Will found his feet and looked over his shoulder, squinting through his soaked eyelashes.

     "Gibbs!" he shouted back.

     The pudgy pirate was hurrying toward him.

     Will felt it before it happened.  As if the water level of the sea dropped drastically.  He looked up, fearing what he would see.  Lightning struck in the distance, illuminating the enormous wave bearing down on them.

     "Gibbs!  Grab on to something!"

     Gibbs lunged at a piece of rigging.

     The wave smashed into the ship.

     Will would have sworn he heard boards snapping under the strain.

     "Hold!" he vaguely heard Jack bellowing.

     The ship thrashed about in the wave for an eternity, water still spilling over the decks, threatening to take everyone and everything with it.

     Gibbs's rope snapped.

     Will watched helplessly as Gibbs flew over the side of the boat!

     "No!" he shouted. 

     "Anamaria!" Jack barked over the wind and rain. "Take her!"

     Through the storm, Will saw the slight woman grab the wheel.  Jack slapped his soggy hat on top of her head, shouting, "I want it back, luv!" Then, he dove off the side of the ship.

     "Jack!" Will roared.

     "Make quick!" Anamaria screeched. "Ready a rope!"

     Will breathed a prayer and grabbed a coiled rope off the deck.  He bound it to the mast with as many tight knots as he had time for, then, he tied a weight on the other end.  Peering through his dripping bangs into the rainy night, he watched the black waves for any possible sign of Jack's white blouse.

     _There!_ Will thought.

     He hurled the weighted rope into the sea, but he could not see where it landed.  He waited for a long time.  Nothing happened.

     He peered into the storm again as he dragged the rope back in.

     _There!  That's got to be him!_

     He hurled the rope toward the floundering white and red figure in the waves.

     The ship lurched again, throwing him off balance.  Another wave crashed over the deck, sweeping him off his feet.  He barely grabbed the mast before the wave took him off the ship.  He scrambled to his feet and ran to the rope.  He glanced down and smiled.  Jack was climbing the rope with Gibbs slung over one shoulder.

     Will reached down and grabbed Gibbs's vest hauling him on board.  The older man was choking and gurgling, but he was alive.  Jack pulled himself onto the ship and collapsed on the deck, gripping his shoulder.  

     As lightning split the sky, Will could see the blood spread out over Jack's back.

     "You ripped your stitches!" Will shouted at him.

     "Oh, there's something I didn't know!" Jack shouted back, stumbling to his feet and rushing to the helm.

     "Oh, no you don't!" Anamaria barked at him. "Take Gibbs below, and get Turner to stitch you up again!"

     "But—" he protested.

     "I'll hold this course!  I don't want you bleeding all over the place!"

     Jack huffed angrily and snatched his hat off her head.

     "Come on, Jack!" Will yelled, shouldering Gibbs's limp body and heading below deck.

* * *

     "Ow!" Jack whined. "Watch where you're poking!" 

     "Sorry," Will returned. "It would help if you held still a bit."

     Jack snorted and winced again.

     "You did a number on this, Jack," Will commented, tugging the needle through the flesh on Jack's shoulder. 

     "Yeah, yeah, yeah," Jack rolled his eyes. "Just hurry up and be done with it."

     Will quickly finished and set aside the needle and thread.

     Jack stretched his arm out and grimaced in pain.

     "Be careful," Will started mopping up the blood on the floor. "It's going to get infected if you keep this up."

     Jack did not answer but leaned back in the bunk as the ship lurched again.

     "We aren't going to catch them, are we?" Will sighed, not looking at his friend.

     Jack remained silent.

     "After this storm, we're barely going to make it to the nearest port, Jack," Will turned to him, "let alone to whatever godforsaken place those brigands came from."

     Jack watched him carefully.

     "We'll find them, mate," he said finally. "I told you we would, so we will."

     Will sighed again and sat down next to Jack.  

     "Jack?"  
     "Aye?" 

     "You told me that the people who attacked your ship when you were younger—you told me they wore black."

     "Aye," Jack's face grew hard. "Aye, they did."

     "They wore black," Will continued. "They wore black masks and black gloves.  Not boots but sandals, and all they did was kill."

     "Aye."

     "The men who attacked Port Royal," Will took a deep breath. "They wore black."

     "Aye."

     "And they killed without thought."

     "Aye."

     "Were they the same?"

     Jack stood and walked to the porthole across from the bunk, hands on his hips.  Will waited in silence.

     "Aye," Jack responded somberly. 

     "But how is that possible, Jack?" Will stood up beside him. "It isn't, unless they're cursed like Barbossa's crew.  Right?"

     Jack was silent.

     "They wanted the dagger then," Will sighed, returning to the bunk. "They want it now."

     "Aye, well, they've got it."

     "Then, why did they take Tori?"

     "I don't know, Will," Jack turned to him. "All right?  I don't know.  I don't know why they want the dagger.  I don't know why they took your daughter.  I bloody don't know."

     Will looked up at him.

     "But I do know," Jack turned back to the window, "that what they're fighting for is honor.  Remember that?  I heard them say it all those years ago.  Honor.  Whatever your definition of bloody honor is, one thing's certain, mate.  You can't buy it.  You can't trade for it.  Either you have it or you don't."

     Slowly, Will reached under the bunk and grabbed a wrapped bundle.  He unwrapped it and pulled the jade and ivory sheath out of it.

     "Where'd you get that?" Jack asked quietly.

     "I pulled it off the fellow who attacked us at McClintock's mansion," Will examined the intricate sheath in the candlelight.

     Jack walked to the edge of the bunk and glared at the sheath.

     "Does that look familiar to you, mate?"

     They exchanged a glance, and Jack jumped up, hurrying out of the room.

     "Jack!" Will shouted and ran after him.

     He followed Jack up the stairs and onto the main deck.  Peering through the still falling rain, Will saw Jack race into the captain's quarters beneath the top deck.  Will rushed after him, splashing through the knee high water gathered on deck.

     The two men burst into the cabin, trying to keep as much of the water out as possible.  Jack hurried to the safe in the corner, unlocked it, and pulled out the envelope they had secured from McClintock's mansion.  Jack opened it and pulled out the sketched drawings of the Dragon's Claw.

     "See?" Jack gestured to the pictures and then to the sheath still clutched in Will's hand. "Don't they look just marvelous together?"

     "Is the Claw supposed to have a sheath?"

     "Don't know," Jack tucked the pictures back into the envelope and shoved it back in the safe. "But I know they sure look alike."

     "Maybe they were made by the same person, Jack.  That doesn't mean they're a set."

     "And I suppose the little markings on the bottom of that sheath have nothing to do with anything either."

     Will turned the sheath over and stared at the cryptic red symbols carved into the ivory. 

     "So what does this mean?" Will sat in one the chairs around the table. 

     "It means, mate," the old gleam suddenly appeared in Jack's dark eyes, "that we may have a bargaining chip after all."


	9. Chapter Eight: A New Friend

Pirates of the Caribbean 

**Legend of the Dragon's Claw**

**By Amos Whirly**

**Chapter Eight: A New Friend**

     The _Black Pearl _lurched and groaned as it swayed back and forth in the tide against the dock.  Numerous broken boards and planks hung from its damaged hull, and its ripped black sails flapped in the breeze.

     Jack stood on top of a ledge on the side of the deck, gazing out over the small town on the island.

     "Where are we?" Will asked, coming up beside him.

     "Little place called El Corazon," Jack answered grimly. "Shame, really."

     "Why?"

     "Some rather disturbing characters around this place, mate."

     "Jack," Anamaria started, coming up behind Will, "we'll need supplies before we head out again."

     "Aye," Jack did not look back at her. "Mr. Turner and I shall go ashore.  Have the men pound the nails back in."

     "Aye," Anamaria turned and quickly began barking orders at the men.

     "C'mon, Will," Jack jumped down and headed for the dock.

* * *

     The people of El Corazon watched them suspiciously as Jack and Will made their way through the center of the township.

     "People are staring, Jack," Will mumbled to his friend.

     "Get used to it, mate," Jack rubbed the hilt of his sword absently.

     "How exactly are we going to get supplies, Jack?" Will rolled his eyes as they approached a store. "We don't really have any money, and as long as I'm here, you're not stealing anything."

     "No worries, mate," Jack thumped him on the shoulder. 

     They stepped into the store and halted just inside the door.  Immediately, all activity in the place stopped, and everyone within stared at them.  Quickly, most of the people inside hurried out, except for the proprietor who remained behind the counter, gawking.

     "J—J—Jack Sparrow," he stammered, black eyes suddenly brightening.  

     "Captain Jack Sparrow," Jack leaned on the counter with a malicious sparkle in his eyes. "Remember, Freddie boy?"

     "Of c—c—course, Captain," the man bowed his balding head. "What—What can I get for you?"

     "I've come to call on that favor you owe me," Jack smirked, tugging on his mustache. 

     "R—Right, right," Freddie started bustling around behind the counter.

     Jack looked over his shoulder and smirked at Will.

     "Old Freddie here owes me a favor of utmost quantity, right, Freddie?"

     "Of c—c—course, Captain Jack," the man spoke from the back room. 

     Freddie hurried out of the back with a crate and set it on the counter.

     "C—C—Captain Jack p—p—pulled me out of the sea," Freddie nodded with a grin. "He s—s—saved my life."

     Freddie plopped a large burlap bag of apples on the counter.

     "In exchange, Freddie offered to stock us up the next time we needed it," Jack gestured. "And right now, we desperately need it."

     "I d—d—didn't expect to s—s—see you in C—C—Corazon for another year or so, C—Captain."

     "Mitigating circumstances, my boy.  Mitigating circumstances."

     Freddie set another crate on the counter and shoved a sack into Will's arms.

     "Th—Th—There's a treat for the r—r—rest of the crew," Freddie grinned. "Salted pork.  Fresh barrel.  And a couple of gallons of grog."

     "Gibbs'll be appreciative," Jack smiled again and lifted one of the crates. 

     "G—Glad you came by, C—C—Captain," Freddie said. "Come again."

     "Oh, but next time, the tab won't be on you, mate," Jack laughed. "You know I don't work like that."

     "W—W—Well," Freddie flushed, "d—d—depending on how s—s—soon you come b—back, you never know."

     "Thanks, mate," Jack winked. "Grab a crate, Will."

     Will threw the sack into the other crate and lifted it.  He and Jack headed for the door.

     Jack, however, suddenly stopped and turned back.

     "Freddie?" 

     "Y—Yes, Captain?"

     "There been any other boats dock in the last hour or so?  Black boat?"

     Freddie concentrated for a moment.

     "Aye, I think s—so," he nodded. "B—B—Black boat put to p—port four hours ago.  L—L—Left only an hour h—hence.  Strange folk."

     "Did you see which way they went?" Will asked anxiously.

     "N—No," Freddie looked down.

     Jack nodded. 

     "No worries, Fred.  Thanks for the goods."

     Jack and Will walked quietly back to the _Pearl_.  

     "So they _were _here," Will whispered dejectedly. "But no one saw where they went."

     "Seems that way."

     "So how are we going to find them?"

     Will followed Jack as they turned down an alleyway.  Suddenly, Jack came to a halt.

     In front of them stood five tall, angry looking men, all carrying swords and wearing dangerous smiles on their faces.

     Jack and Will looked behind themselves to see five more men of the same type.

     "Surrounded," Will whispered, setting down his crate.

     "Aye," Jack mumbled. "Outnumbered, too.  Looks like five to one, aye?  Not bad odds, I'd say."

     "Not good either, Jack," Will murmured.

     Jack set down his crate, pulled out his sword, and smirked at the men around them.

     "We really haven't got time to play, gents," Jack bowed like a courtier. 

     The men began to close in on them.

     Will snatched the sword out of his belt.

     And the men attacked.

     Jack landed a punch square in one of the men's jaws, and the man crumpled to the ground.  But another man lunged crazily and tackled Jack.  Both of them went sprawling on the dirty alley floor.

     Will tripped one and kicked another one in the hindquarters.  

     He shouted as two of the men snatched up the crates and started running.

     "Get the supplies!" Jack bellowed from beneath his attacker.

     Will ran after the two men, leaving Jack to deal with the other five men.

     Jack squirmed out from under the one man and slashed at him.  The man cried out and fell down, but another jumped out of the shadows, driving Jack bodily into a brick wall.  Jack jabbed backward with his elbow and caught the man in the ribs.  The man grunted in pain and doubled over, giving Jack the chance to whirl around and ram the heel of his hand into the man's nose.

     He was just about to gloat when another man grabbed his waist and threw him to the ground.  He struggled to his feet, but the man latched onto his right arm and yanked.  Jack could not stop a cry of pain as he felt his stitches ripping apart again.  He sliced the man's chest open with his sword and kicked him away.  

     He felt the last two running at him before he saw them.  He ducked just in time, slashed both their knees with his sword, and the two men fell to the ground, moaning and walking in pain.

     Jack stood and grimaced, feeling the blood pour down his back and soak into his shirt.

     With a grunt, he shoved the pain away to be dealt with later and dashed off down the alley to find Will.

     Will ran until he felt his lungs would burst.  He could still see the men running in front of him.  He skidded to a halt as they stopped and dropped their crates.

     Will saw the reason why.  The alley had suddenly ended.

     Will clutched his sword and glared at them.

     The two men charged with bloodcurdling shrieks.  Will ducked under their first swings, but missed the next two, cutting his left arm and right hip.  He drove his elbow into one of them, knocking him over, but the other landed a punch squarely on his jaw, sending him sprawling to the dirt.  He looked up as the two men approached him.

     His sword had fallen out of reach.

     The two men halted above him, smirking down at him with evil in their eyes.

     Suddenly, their faces went blank and they fell backward, collapsing in the dust.  

     Will laid still for a moment, trying to figure out what had happened.  Slowly, he got to his feet, but he stopped before he stood straight.

     Standing before him was a man. 

     At least, he thought it was a man.  From the figure's height, it could have easily been a woman.

     Deliberately, the small figure turned to him.  He had angled black eyes and thick black hair that tumbled around his shoulders.  He bowed slightly.

     "Did you save me?" Will whispered.

     "Yes," the man answered.

     "Why?"

     "Were you not in danger?"

     "Well, yes, I was, but why did you save me?  Do I know you?"

     "Familiarity is not required to save a life."

     "I suppose so."

     "Will!" Jack shouted as he dashed into the light. "Whoa."

     The small man turned to Jack and bowed.  The man's head did not reach either of their shoulders.

     "Jack, you're bleeding again," Will pointed out with the tone of an exasperated parent.

     "Who's this bugger?" Jack nodded at the man.

     "Forgive me for my rudeness," the man bowed again. "I am Zao."

     "Zao?" Jack curled his lip. "What kind of a name is that, mate?"

     "Zao Yue."

     "Say again?"

     "Zao Yue."

     "I'm still not understanding him," Jack sheathed his sword. 

     "My first name is Yue," the man huffed. "My last name is Zao."

     "Then, why did you say 'Zao Yue'?" Jack asked sarcastically. "You got them turned around."

     "In my country, it is proper to say the last name first," Yue scowled.

     "What is your country?" Will asked.

     "China," Yue bowed again. 

     "China?" Will and Jack yelped together. 

     "How'd that happen?" Will was aghast. "China's a long way off."

     "How did you get here?" Jack demanded.

     "I was the only survivor of a ship wreck off the coast of this island," Yue explained. 

     "Yes, but how did you get here?" Jack repeated.

     "It is a long story," Yue sighed. "But I shall tell it to you on our way."

     "On our way?" Jack interrupted, stepping up to the little man.

     "Yes," Yue smiled. "Since I have saved your lives, you owe me a debt.  In payment, I ask that you grant me safe passage from this island."  
     "Now, wait a minute," Jack held up his hands. "You saved Will's life.  Not mine."

     Yue moved with the speed of lightning, grabbing the dagger hidden under his shirt and hurling it through the air!

     Jack did not even have time to move.

     The dagger screeched over his shoulder.

     And buried in the heart of the attacker who had been sneaking up behind him.

     "Now, I have saved your life," Yue walked over and yanked the dagger from the man's chest. 

     He wiped the blood of the blade with his shirt and returned it to its hidden sheath.

     "Shall we go?" Yue turned and started for the main street.

     Jack glanced at Will and scowled darkly.

     "I knew he was there."


	10. Chapter Nine: A Tale from the East

**Pirates of the Caribbean**

**Legend of the Dragon's Claw**

**By Amos Whirly**

**Chapter Nine: A Tale from the East**

     Yue gnawed hungrily on an apple and chomped ferociously on a slab of salted pork.  He took a huge swig of whatever was in his hip flask and sighed enormously.

     "Much better," he murmured, sitting back in his chair and helping himself to another apple.

     Jack watched him suspiciously the whole time, an uncharacteristic scowl darkening his face.

     "Yue," Will leaned forward, "can I ask you something?"

     "Of course."

     "Who are you?" 

     "I have told you," Yue seemed confused. "My name is Zao Yue, and I was a prisoner on El Corazon until I saved the two of you."

     "Did not," Jack snorted, looking away. 

     "Speaking of which," Will cocked his head, "why did you save us anyway?"

     "Did you not require assistance?"

     "No, as a matter of fact, we did not require assistance," Jack spat. "We were perfectly capable of handling the matter by ourselves, weren't we, mate?" He punched Will in the shoulder.

     "Um."

     "You seemed to be severely injured, Captain Sparrow," Yue pointed out, gesturing to Jack's still-bleeding shoulder. "And outnumbered as well.  I reasoned that if I intervened—"

     "You could get yourself a free ride, eh?" Jack interrupted. "Well, I'm onto you, and if you try anything on my ship—"

     "Jack," Will hissed.

     "What?" Jack snapped. "This is my ship.  My rules."

     "I was not implying otherwise, Captain Sparrow," Yue bowed his head politely. 

     Jack wrinkled his nose and sat down, crossing his arms.

     "Well, see that it stays that way."

     "You may have told us your name, Yue," Will leaned forward again, "but _who_ are you?  How did you get to El Corazon?  I know.  I know you said you arrived there by means of a shipwreck, but from where?  Where were you going?"

     "It is a very long story, Mr. Turner," Yue bowed his head again.

     "We've got a long way to sail yet, friend," Will patted the small man's shoulder.

     "Well," Yue crossed his arms, "perhaps I should begin at the beginning?"

     "Always a good place," Jack rolled his eyes, earning a frustrated glance from Will.

     "I was born in China," Yue said, "to a very poor home.  An orphanage.  Because I had no parents.  I did not know my mother.  I did not know my father.  All I knew was the orphanage and that I loved the sea."

     Will settled himself more comfortably to listen, but Jack remained leaning on the table.

     "In those days, we did not leave our coast lines," Yue explained. "It was not wise.  But I heard of a man who built a ship able to withstand the power of the sea.  So I asked to be aboard his crew.  He agreed, although I was very young.  He took me in and taught me.  But the people of China did not like him.  They thought his thinking was too advanced and would threaten the old ways.  So they ordered him and his crew to leave forever."

     "All for building a new kind of boat?" Jack curled his lip.

     "Yes," Yue answered. "In China, tradition is important.  Those who break it are dishonored.  Thus, I was banished with him."

     "How did you end up on El Corazon?" Will asked. "Was that the ship that crashed?"

     Yue stirred uncomfortably. "No.  No that was a different ship."

     "Why did you leave your captain?" Jack narrowed his eyes.

     "He died."

     The sorrow in Yue's eyes was obvious.

     "His—you would call it first mate—attacked him.  He died.  I escaped and found another ship.  That is the ship that crashed on El Corazon."

     "Yue," Jack suddenly knelt in front of the small man, "what was the name of this ship?  This ship that caused all this ruckus."

     Yue watched him carefully and said something in Chinese.

     "English, mate," Jack reminded with a shake of his finger.

     "_Red Dragon_," Yue said. "It was called the _Red Dragon_."

     "_Red Dragon_," Jack whispered. "And your captain?  What was his name?"  
     "Wang," Yue returned, also in a whisper. "Wang Shulong."

     "Wang," Jack repeated. "_Wang_?"

     Jack stood suddenly and grabbed Yue's arm.

     "Jack!" Will yelped.

     "What do you want?" Jack demanded sharply. "Are you after it too?"

     "After what?" Yue was perplexed.

     "I've been watching you since El Corazon," Jack snapped. "You move just like they do—the black pirates.  You're after the Claw, too, and you're just waiting for the right time to strike, aren't you, mate?"

     "The Claw?" Yue gasped. "The Dragon's Claw?  You _know _of the Dragon's Claw?"

     "Both of you, calm down," Will stepped in between them. "Jack, what's wrong with you?"

     "Don't you remember, Will?" Jack was still glaring at Yue. "The man who attacked my ship and killed Captain Jenkins for that stupid hunk of gold?  His name was Wang.  Wang something-or-other."

     "Wang Shonyu?" Yue suddenly paled.

     Jack and Will stared at him.

     "Yes," Jack's face was tight. "Yes, that was it.  He and his men attacked my boat when I was a lad.  All for the sake of that cursed dagger."

     "Oh," Yue sat down again, "this is very bad.  You should not be involved in this."

     "Well, we are," Jack snorted, "whether you like it or not, shorty."

     "You _do _know about the dagger," Will knelt beside the small man. "Then, tell us.  Where did the pirates go?  They took my daughter.  I have to find her."

     Yue looked at him in confusion, " They would not have taken her from you, if you had not taken something from them."

     Will and Jack exchanged a glance.

     "We can trust him, Jack," Will urged. "He's the closest lead we've had."

     Jack hesitated for a moment.

     "A sheath," he finally said. "Will pulled a fancy sheath off one of the pirates at Port Royal."

     "Yes," Yue smiled slightly. "Yes, that would have upset Shonyu greatly."

     "Keep going, mate," Jack sat down. "Don't stop there." He patted his sword hilt. "You're just getting warmed up."

     Yue watched him cautiously.

     "Shulong Wang," he started, "is the man who created the _Red Dragon_, who was originally banished from China, and who accepted me into his ranks.  Shonyu Wang was his son.  His only son, who set sail with us as well."  Yue took a deep breath. "For years and years, Captain Wang hoarded goods on an island here in the Caribbean.  It was a long journey to say the least, but he knew that no one would ever find it.  One day, he took me with him and hid the sheath of the Dragon's Claw within the treasure cave.  He kept the dagger itself with him because it provided a map to the island, and he never wanted to forget where it was."

     "What happened?" Will asked.

     "When we emerged from the cave," Yue steadied his voice, "his first mate Wushen Fa attacked him.  He died, but in his last breath, he gave the Claw to me.  I did the only thing I could think to do.  I returned to the cave, retrieved the sheath, and I ran, escaping the island with only my life and the Claw with its sheath."

     "What then?" Jack urged.

     "When word reached Shonyu Wang about what had happened, he had Fa killed," Yue said. "But when he found that I had the Claw, he became enraged, for it had been _his_ birthright.  He hunted me down, and when he found me, I was on a merchant ship.  His ship attacked us.  I was the only survivor.  I washed up on El Corazon, and that is where I have been all these years."

     "What about the Claw?  And the sheath?" Jack asked.

     "Shonyu regained the sheath," Yue explained, "but I threw the dagger overboard.  It was my birthright, after all.  I could not allow him to take it.  Such a thing would dishonor me."

     "But didn't he want it to remember his father?" Will protested. 

     "Shonyu had no respect for his father," Yue answered. "He did not honor him.  He only wanted the dagger to use the treasure within the cave, which is not what Captain Wang had desired.  Captain Wang told me this himself.  The treasure that is seen in the cave is not the greatest.  There is another treasure deep and hidden inside the cave, priceless and precious beyond measure.  This is what Shonyu desired.  So I threw away the dagger to keep the treasure safe from him."

     "What happened then?" Jack demanded.

     "I do not know," Yue shrugged. "I have been on El Corazon for the whole time.  I know not if Shonyu ever regained the dagger or if he found the treasure of his father."

     "Well, he's got the dagger now," Jack said. "But we have the sheath."

     "And he also has my daughter," Will sighed.

     "If only we had the dagger," Yue sat back in his chair. "I could guide you to the island."

     Jack and Will looked at each other.  Will quickly stood and opened the safe, drawing out the envelope within.

     "Don't move, mate," Jack winked at Yue and stood, grabbing Will's arm and dragging him to the other corner of the room. "Are you out of your mind?  Trusting our lives—and my ship—to this brigand?  We don't know anything about him."

     "I trust him, Jack."

     "Well, I don't.  The only thing I'm sure of is that these blokes don't play by the rules."

     Will smiled slowly.

     "Don't you remember, Jack?  The only rules that matter out here are what a man _can_ do and what a man _can't_ do."

     Jack scowled.

     "We _can_ ignore Yue and choose to believe he's lying," Will said. "But we _can't_ find the island without him.  Which means that we _can't_ save Tori without him."

     Jack sighed heavily, and Will handed him the envelope with the pictures of the dagger inside.

     With a lopsided grin, Will quipped, "Can you sail under the command of a pirate, or can you not?"

     Jack tapped the enveloped on his arm, still frowning.

     "If he dings my boat, I'm blaming you," Jack shook his finger in Will's face and stalked back toward Yue.


	11. Chapter Ten: The Forbidden Harbor

**Pirates of the Caribbean**

**Legend of the Dragon's Claw**

**By Amos Whirly**

**Chapter Ten: The Forbidden Harbor**

     The_ Pearl _rocked lazily in the water as Jack guided her into the small cove on the eastern side of the dark island.  Another red moon hung in the sky, dimming the light of the twinkling stars.

     "Yes," Yue said quietly as he stood next to Jack. "Yes.  That is it.  The Forbidden Harbor.  That is the Island of the Dragon's Claw."

     "Jack," Anamaria suddenly spoke.

     Jack turned his eyes to her.  She stood on a ledge, a telescope against her right eye.

     "What is it?" Jack asked.

     "A ship," she replied softly. "One like I've only seen once before."

     "At Port Royal?" Will guessed.

     "Aye," Anamaria lowered the telescope. "It's the same ship, to be sure."

     "Manned?" Jack asked.

     "Aye," Anamaria answered. "Full too.  If they've sent a party ashore, there aren't very many."

     "We should stop here," Yue said. "We are still far enough out that they should not notice us.  Especially not in the dark."

      "We can see them," Jack pointed out caustically. "Doesn't that entail that they could see us?"

     "If they used telescopes," Yue smiled, "which they do not."

     "All right," Jack jerked his head at Anamaria, who jumped from the ledge and hurried to the helm. "Will, Yue, and I are going ashore.  The rest of you, stay on board and don't come any closer unless something goes awry."

     "And what would _that_ mean, Captain?" Anamaria rolled her eyes. 

     "If they come after you," Jack smirked and jumped off the deck.

     Will lowered himself into the small boat and steadied it as Jack and Yue climbed in after him.  

     "Do you have the sheath, Will?" Yue asked him.

     "Yes," Will patted his belt where the sheath was attached. "Are you certain they'll trade Tori for it?"

     "Yes," Yue said. 

     The crew let the lines go, and the boat splashed in the water.  Jack grabbed the oars and started rowing quickly.

     "But what about you?" he asked between strokes. "Are you willing to let Wang have the sheath _and _the dagger?  That is what started this whole thing, after all."

     "Captain Sparrow," Yue turned to him, the wind catching in his thick black hair, "I sense an inordinate amount of hostility from you.  Is there something I have done to you that would cause you to dislike me so intensely?"  
     "Your pal Wang—the son—attacked a ship I was on and killed the man I considered a father," Jack said darkly. "All because of that bloody dagger which Jenkins wouldn't even have had if you had just let what's-his-face take it."

     "Captain Sparrow," Yue sighed heavily, "you are a pirate, are you not?"

     "Yes."

     "Then, you cannot understand."

     "Why?" Jack snapped. 

     "Because, to understand why I could not give the dagger to Shonyu, you would have to understand honor," Yue deadpanned. "And honor is something a pirate can never have."

     They rode in silence until the boat ran up on the beach.

     The island was dark and covered in dense forests.  It seemed totally uninhabited.

     The three men dragged their boat high onto the shore and left it among some driftwood.  Then, they scurried into the concealing darkness of the shadows.

     From the forest, Will peered at the foreign ship in the harbor.  Its sails were black and red, obvious even in the dark, but they were designed strangely.  The sail on the back of the ship was pleated and acted more like a rudder than a sail.  Even from the island, Will could see shimmering gold on the sails.

     "Come," Yue suddenly hissed, tapping both Will and Jack on the elbows. "Quickly.  This way."

     Yue started jogging through the underbrush.  Will and Jack were hard pressed to keep up with him.

     At last, he stopped.

     Before them, a large stone gateway sprouted from the ground.  It was painted red and carved in all sorts of strange symbols.

     "These symbols look like the same ones that are on the dagger and the sheath," Will pointed out.

     "Of course, they are," Yue chuckled. "They are Chinese.  Our language."

     "You mean—those—scribbles—are words?" Jack sounded dubious.

     "Yes," Yue laughed quietly. "Come quickly."

     Yue darted through the gateway and stopped at the door beyond it.

     "It is open," he whispered, gesturing to the large open lock on the ground. "They must be inside."

     Jack, Will, and Yue sneaked through the door and crept down the stone stairway they found beyond it.  The stairs seemed to go on forever, downward and downward.  Finally, they reached another opening.  Yue signaled them to stop, and they peered together through the door.

     "Oh my," Jack murmured.

     The massive stone room before them was filled from floor to ceiling with gold, silver, and precious jewels.  Piles and stacks of it sat in every corner.  The room itself seemed to shine golden without the help of the numerous candles around its perimeter.

     "There," Will pointed.

     "Not good," Jack grimaced as he began to count.

     Nearly twenty men, all wearing black, bustled around the room.  

     _Are they gathering the treasure? _Will wondered, watching silently. _No.  What are they doing?_

     The pirates were banging on all the walls, tearing down tiles, and pushing columns out of the way.  They were searching for something.

     "What are they doing?" Jack nudged Yue.

     "Wang's greed is insatiable," Yue answered. "He is not satisfied with the treasure that is seen.  He desires the unseen treasure in the belly of the island."

     "Which one is Wang/" Jack asked.

     "The one at the center," Yue nodded. "With the red sash and the red headband.  That is Shonyu Wang."

     The man Yue indicated was only slightly taller than the other men in the room—probably five and a half feet at most.  He wore black pants, black sandals, and a black tunic with a red baldric decorated with gold and silver.  A red headband crossed his tall brow, and his long black hair, streaked with gray, fell straight to his shoulders.  His black eyes were alert, and a jagged scar reached from his jaw to his ear.

     Jack fisted his hand around the hilt of his sword—

_     The ship lurched against the waves.  Jack clung to the gnarled boards with his slender fingers, desperately trying to block out the screams of the men around him._

_     Peering around the large barrel, behind which he cowered, he could see the man wearing black pacing around Captain Jenkins.  _

_     The captain had been bound and forced to his knees, and the man with the red headband circled him like a jackal.  He carried a long sword, which he twirled as he walked._

_     Jenkins's old face was set solemnly.  Jack could read death in his eyes._

_     The man in black stopped suddenly, and before Jack realized that the man had moved, he swung his sword._

_     Jenkins's head fell to the deck._

     With a laugh, the swordsman turned to his men and said something unintelligible.  His black eyes were filled with victory, and the long, gruesome scar on his face seemed to glow in the moonlight.

     "Jack," Will grabbed his friend's arm.

     Jack gave a start and looked at him.

     "What?" he asked.

     "Tori's not here," Will said. "She must still be on the ship.  We need to head back."

     "You take Yue and go," Jack said, his eyes not leaving Captain Wang.

     A shout suddenly interrupted them, and all the men in the cave hurried to a spot on the back wall.  After pushing and pulling for a moment, the men knocked down the column in their way, revealing a large stone door with a strange lock. 

     "The door," Yue whispered. "That is the door to the greatest treasure of all."

     Jack was about to speak when he felt something cold and sharp at the back of his neck.

     He did not even need to look.  He could see the expression of terror on Will's face.

     The sword jabbed slightly into his back, and he stood.  Yue and Will stood with him, and they turned to face three more men in black, each carrying swords.

     One of them said something loudly and shoved Jack, Yue, and Will into the room.  Instantly, the room was a buzz of activity, and in a fraction of a second the three men were totally surrounded.

     "Brilliant move, this," Jack muttered as the men grabbed his pistol and his sword. "If you mates have any ideas, now's the time."


	12. Chapter Eleven: Betrayed!

**Pirates of the Caribbean**

**Legend of the Dragon's Claw**

**By Amos Whirly**

**Chapter Eleven: Betrayed**

     "Well, what is this?" Shonyu Wang chuckled as he stepped out of the line of sword wielding pirates. "Yue Zao.  It has been a very long time."

     "Not long enough, Shonyu," Yue snarled.

     "And you bring foreigners," Wang began to circle the three prisoners. "Familiar foreigners."  He stopped in front of Will and gazed darkly into his face. "Very familiar.  You are the man who robbed me."

     "You took my daughter," Will was white with rage.

     "You took my heirloom," Wang countered. "I took your daughter to make you aware of how priceless family honor is.  Of course, a Westerner like you could never understand."

     Wang turned his attention to Jack.

     "You I do not know."

     "Oh, but I know you," Jack returned.

     "Truly?" Wang approached him.

     "Oh, yes," Jack was still smiling, but the malicious undertone in his voice was unnerving. "I was on the _Pennington_."

     "The _Pennington_?" Wang laughed. "You ask me to remember a single ship?"

     "It's where you found the Claw."

     Wang's face suddenly darkened.

     "You lie," he spat. "We killed all aboard that vessel."

     "Including the captain."

     "Of course, the captain," Wang snapped. "That old fool had no honor.  I did him a favor by taking off his head."  He stopped for a moment. "But there was a cabin boy.  A cabin boy we never found.  It was you, then.  How ironic."

     "Shonyu," Yue broke in, "these men have the sheath.  They want to trade the sheath for Mr. Turner's daughter.  To protect your honor, you must do this."

     "To protect my honor?" he laughed. "What would you know of honor?  You are nothing but an orphan who refused to stay within his class.  You dishonored my father."

     "It is you who have dishonored your father," Yue shot back. "Your father gave the Claw to me."

     "It is rightfully mine!" Wang shouted. "And since you refused to give—!"

     "Your father wished for me to have it," Yue interrupted. "Otherwise he would not have given it to me."

     "If you only knew, Zao, the trouble you have caused," Wang spat. "After we left you on El Corazon, we searched for the Claw for years.  When at last we found it, it was held captive by that foolish Jenkins man.  He was easily dispatched, and the Claw was restored to my family.  But as we sailed to this island, we had to stop for supplies, and we ran into that overweight foreigner who demanded to buy the Claw.  When he could not purchase it, he stole it from us."

     "You mean, McClintock?" Will hissed.

     "Yes," Wang nodded. "He stole it from me.  So we spent another long span of years searching for him.  And when we found him, you two," he pointed at Will and Jack, "got in the way.  Thus, we had no choice but to take your daughter."

     Will and Jack fell silent.

     One of the men behind them spoke, and Wang smiled.

     "We also had no choice," his voice was evil, "in attacking your ship."

     "What?" Jack gasped.

     "Your ship," Wang sneered. "Your _pirate_ ship.  My crew is superior.  They will all perish, and your ship will sink in the harbor as a warning to any other who ventures here again."

     Wang turned to Will.

     "Give me the sheath."

     "Give me my daughter."

     "First, the sheath."

     "No."

     Silence descended over the group.  

     "Mr. Turner, is it?" Wang snarled. "I have power.  I decide what does and does not happen.  The sheath and Claw belong to me, not to you, and since I am the wronged party present, it is you who shall defer to my commands."

     Will was silent.

     "If you do not give me the sheath, I will have your daughter killed straightway."     

     Will looked from Jack to Yue, feeling the strength drain out of his limbs.

     "It is your choice," Wang smiled.

     Out of the corner of his eye, Will could see Jack setting his hands together palm first, silently pleading.  His expression practically screamed, _Don't do anything stupid_.

     But Will ignored him.

     He grabbed the sheath off his belt and tossed it to Wang.

     "Thank you, Mr. Turner," Wang bowed, tucking the sheath into his own belt. 

     He gave an order in Chinese, and the whole company of men turned and started up the stairs again, dragging Jack, Will, and Yue with them.

     "Where are you taking us?" Will demanded.

     "We're taking you to your daughter," Wang said, "so you may watch her die."

     Will felt his heart stop.

     "What?" he shouted. "I gave you the sheath!  We were to trade!"

     "I said nothing of trading anything," Wang glared at him. "I cannot allow three foreigners to know the location of the Island of the Dragon's Claw.  You all have to die anyway.  This way, you can watch her head fall, and then you can follow her."


	13. Chapter Twelve: Cannonballs and Treasure...

**Pirates of the Caribbean**

**Legend of the Dragon's Claw**

**By Amos Whirly**

**Chapter Twelve: Cannonballs and Treasure Troves**

     "Hard to port!" Anamaria screeched as a cannonball screamed over the deck of the _Pearl_. "Ready the guns!"

     A huge jet of water erupted from the sea where a cannonball punched through the water's surface.  

     The strange ship had spotted them and had attacked with speed that none of the _Pearl_'s crew expected.

     The pirates of the _Black Pearl _scrambled to the numerous cannons below deck and started firing on the strange ship.  The red and black ship speared through the waters of the Forbidden Harbor with ease, dodging and evading every shot the _Pearl _fired.

     "It's a ghost ship!" one of the pirates wailed. "We can't hit it!"

     "None of that!" Anamaria shoved a rifle into his hands. "Even Barbossa couldn't be killed, and we dealt him a blow." She turned to the men at the helm, screeching, "Get us close!"

     The men grabbed the helm and started turning.  The ship banked on a wave and veered violently, the wind catching in the sails.

* * *

     Jack was grumbling under his breath as the pirates forced him and Will into the sunlight.  As soon as they cleared the gateway, Jack could hear the sounds of battle echoing from the Forbidden Harbor.

     "I knew it," he moaned as the pirates dragged him deeper into the forested area. "They're going to scratch my ship."

* * *

     The pirates scurried as a cannonball dropped straight through the deck of the _Pearl_.  Instantly, water began flooding into the hull!

     "Plug it!" Anamaria barked from the deck.  "Seal it off!  I don't care what you do!  We're not going to sink!  Not while I'm commanding!"

     Gibbs grabbed her arm, offered a jolly smirk, and hurried down to the bottom deck, taking a handful of sailors with him.  

     "Don't stop firing!" Anamaria ordered, the wind catching in her long black hair. "Keep it up!  Helm!" The men at the helm looked at her. "Closer!"

* * *

     Yue had fallen silent as the group trekked through the undergrowth.  Will kept twisting in his bonds, desperately trying to find a way out of them, but he only succeeded in bloodying his wrists.

     The pirate behind him shoved him forward cruelly, and he stumbled on a protruding root.  

     Finally, the forest lessened in density, and the group stepped into a wide clearing.

     "Papa!" a little girl screeched.

     Will's eyes skimmed the camp quickly.

     "Tori!"

     Tori was suspended in a little cage hanging from a tree limb.  Her dress was torn in places, and her face was streaked with tears. 

     "Papa!" 

     Will grunted as the pirate shoved him forward again, forcing him to his knees.  Jack fell beside him.

     "Does she look all right?" Will breathed, still staring at his caged daughter. "Does she look hurt?"

     "She's fine," Jack grumbled. 

     "Jack, what are going to do?" Will looked at him as the pirates forced Yue to his knees as well. "They're going to kill us all."

     "Well, if you'd hung on to the bloody sheath—"

     "What was I supposed to do?"

     "Don't trust pirates, Will.  Haven't you learned that by now?"

     "I trust you."

     "Well, I'm not a pirate-pirate.  I'm a pirate, aye.  But not a pirate-pirate.  These blokes are pirate-pirates.  Don't trust pirate-pirates."

     "You're confusing me, Jack."

* * *

     "Make quick!" Anamaria barked, tightening a rope from where it had loosened.

     The _Pearl _took another hit on the side, fortunately above the waterline, but distance between them and the strange ship was diminishing rapidly.

     "Grapples at the ready!" she shouted. "Prepare to board!"

     The crew scuttled around her, grabbing the grappling hooks and preparing to throw them.

* * *

     Tori cried as one of the men grabbed her arm and dragged her out of her little cage.  It took three of the pirates to hold Will down.

     "Papa!" Tori wailed, reaching out to him as the men bound her small wrists.

     Will lunged, but the men stopped him, throwing him to the dirt and piling on top of him.

     Will was causing such a stir that none of the men noticed how loose Jack's wrists had suddenly become.

* * *

     The grappling hooks soared through the air and caught on the rigging that covered the strange ship.  The crew of the _Pearl _shouted collectively and swung.

     They hit the deck of the strange ship with a thud and set to work.

     Anamaria grabbed the sword out of her belt and headed for the man giving the orders.  

     He wore black from head to toe, and when she approached he pulled out a long sword.  They faced each other.  

     "I'm really going to enjoy this," Anamaria smirked.

     The man said something in a foreign language that sounded like gibberish to her, and he lunged at her.

* * *

     Will had never felt so helpless.

     He had to watch as his daughter—his only child—was strapped to the ground.  Wang raised a sword above her little neck.

     "The child first," Wang smirked confidently. "Then, the rest of you."

     The sword glinted in the sunlight—

     "I wouldn't be doing that, if I were you, mate," Jack spoke suddenly.

     Wang stopped and glared at Jack, who was on his knees.

     "It's just that—well, Wangy-boy, that's not very nice, picking on a little girl like that.  You're so obsessed with honor, I'd think you'd act more like a man instead of a coward."

     Wang's jaw tensed.  

     Yue glared at Jack as if he had lost his mind. 

     "Very well," Wang stepped over Tori, walking purposefully toward Jack. "I will kill you first instead.  You are, after all, in the same position as your dear Captain Jenkins."

     "No."

     "No?" Wang poised to strike.

     "No," Jack nodded, still smiling devilishly.

     "No?" Wang lined his blade up with Jack's neck.

     "No," Jack repeated. "Captain Jenkins was tied up."

     The smirk suddenly faded from Wang's lined face.

     "I'm not," Jack grinned.

     And tackled Wang around the waist, throwing them both into the dirt!

* * *

     Anamaria gasped as the pirate's blade sliced into the flesh on her left arm.  She evaded the next swing and dealt the man one of her own. 

     Finally, the man stepped away, eyebrows raised, his slanted eyes sparkling.

     "Fascinating," he mumbled in a thick accent. "You are excellent fighter."

     "Thanks."

     "In my country," the pirate continued, "it is polite to introduce oneself to his opponent."  The man bowed. "I am Li Xiao."

     Anamaria stayed in her defensive position, though she could not help a smile.

     "Anamaria," she said aloud. 

     Xiao bowed again. 

     "You are woman."

     "Hmph," she snorted, "hear me roar."

     She dove at him.

* * *

     Mass confusion followed.  The pirates were so shocked that Jack had freed himself that their only thought was to save their captain, giving Will and Yue the chance to loosen their bonds.

     After the initial tackle, Jack jumped off Wang, punched the pirate holding his sword, retrieved it, and turned back to Wang.  Wang blocked his first lunge as well as his second.  By then, the rest of the pirates were moving, but Will and Yue were free.

     Wang leapt away from Jack, allowing two of his men to take up the attack, and he surreptitiously slipped into the forest.

     Yue twisted oddly, pivoting on his right leg and taking three pirates down with one swing of his foot.  Will snatched his own sword off the unconscious guard and drove his fist into another pirate's face.

     Then, he raced to Tori.

     "Papa!" Tori sobbed as he cut the ropes off her wrists. 

     She flung herself into his arms and burst into tears.  Will wanted nothing else than to sit down and hold her, but he knew that time was short.

     "Will!" Jack barked.

     Will looked to where Jack was struggling with two other pirates.

     "Get her out of here!"

     Will nodded and jumped to his feet.

     _I've got to get her somewhere safe_, he thought. _I can't take her back to the _Pearl.  _So where?_  

     Will gazed at the forest.

     _Yes_, he thought. _That's the safest place._

     Clutching Tori tightly to his chest, he plunged into the forest heading for the treasure cave underneath the island.

* * *

     "There!" Gibbs barked. "There and there!"

     Gibbs and the other crewmembers with him were plugging the holes in the hull of the _Pearl._

     "Gibbs!" one of them shouted. "The others are attacking that foreign ship!  Shouldn't we be helping them?"

     "What good will helping them be if we don't have a ship left to return to," Gibbs snapped. "Plug the holes, you dogs!  Or I'll send you over to the fight without a pistol!"

* * *

     Will hurried down the steps to the treasure cave, looking forward and behind all the time, expecting an attack at any moment.

     "Oh, Papa, I was scared," Tori whispered into his shirt.

     "I know, darling," Will hugged her tight. "I was scared too.  Are you hurt?"

     "No," Tori said. "No, Papa.  I'm fine.  Where's Mother?"

     "She's at home, love."

     "The mean man hurt her, Papa," Tori hiccupped. "And they made the house burn.  I tried to stop them, Papa, honest, but I was too little."

     "Everything's going to be just fine now, Tori," Will assured her, still looking over his shoulder. "We're going to get you to a safe place, and then Jack—er—Mr. Smith is going to stop the bad people.  Then, we'll all go home and find your mother."

     "I knew you'd come to rescue me, Papa," Tori snuggled into his chest. "Just Mother rescued you in all those stories she told me."

     Will laughed slightly.

     "Yes," he commented, stepping into the treasure cave. "Your mother is very brave, Tori.  Just like you."

     Will stopped dead in his tracks, staring wide-eyed to the front of the treasure cave. 

     The room was still filled with gold and precious stones.

     But Shonyu Wang stood at the center of the room, holding both the Dragon's Claw and its sheath.

     "Oh, dear," Will whispered.

     "So," Wang spat, "Zao Yue sent you to stop me, did he?  Very well!" 

     He slammed the Claw back into the sheath, set it on the altar in the center of the room, and pulled out his long sword.

     "We shall fight to the death, then."

     "Papa!" Tori squealed.

     Will set her on the ground, saying, "Tori, I want you to go to that corner and hide.  Stay there."

     "But, Papa—"

     "No buts.  Go."

     Tori scurried away as Wang approached.

     "You don't have to do this, Wang," Will pulled out his own sword. "I just want my daughter to be safe."

     "The four of you know the location of the Island of the Dragon's Claw," Wang snarled. "You must die."

     Wang cursed in Chinese and charged.


	14. Chapter Thirteen: The Greatest Treasure ...

**Pirates of the Caribbean**

**Legend of the Dragon's Claw**

**By Amos Whirly**

**Chapter Thirteen: The Greatest Treasure of Shulong Wang**

    Jack landed a solid punch square on a pirate's face, and the man tumbled backward into a tree.  Jack slashed another's left arm with his sword, and punched him too.  The man tumbled to the ground and did not move.

     Yue flipped in the air and kicked two more pirates down.  

     And all was quiet. 

     Jack and Yue glanced at each other and looked at the unconscious pirates lying on the ground around them.

     "Hmph," Jack snorted, "that wasn't hard."

     He gingerly touched his bleeding shoulder though.  The stitches had ripped yet again.

     "How is it you can do all that?" Jack nodded at Yue.

     "Kung Fu," Yue bowed.

     "Eh?"

     "Kung Fu," Yue repeated, bowing again. "It is a style of fighting that increases the strength of both body and mind."

     "Whatever you say, mate," Jack nudged a fallen pirate. "Now where'd Will run off to?"

     "He headed toward the treasure cave."

     "Yeah, I suppose he would think it would be safe there, aye?" Jack chuckled. "We'd better go save him, hm?"

* * *

     Tori could not contain a shriek as Wang sliced her father's arm with his sword.  Will ducked under another blow but could not evade the second that cut his back.  He pitched forward, rolling out of the way and grabbing another sword that lay on the ground.

     Now armed with two blades, he lunged at Wang again.  Blocking, crossing, locking—the blades flashed in the light and clanged loudly in the silence of the treasure chamber.

     Will was trying to predict Wang's movements.  It was all but impossible.  The man just moved too fast!

     Another swing sliced a shallow cut on Will's right cheek.

     He lashed out and cut Wang's left hip, but the man did not even recoil!  He lunged harder.  His blade sliced deep in the back of Will's left knee, and instantly, it lost all strength.  His left leg collapsed as if his weight was too much to bear, and he tumbled to the ground.  He kept blocking though, but in a matter of moments, Wang knocked the swords from his hands.  Wang kicked him in the stomach, and Will doubled over.

     "Now," Wang poised in front of him, "it shall be _you_ who dies first!"

     With an enraged scream, Wang swung and toppled over as Yue tackled him!  The two men crashed into a pile of gold.  Yue knocked the sword from his grasp and grabbed him by his shirt, dragging him up and hurling him across the room.

     Will sat on his knees, staring at the two men until he felt Jack's hand on his shoulder.

     "All right, mate?"

     "Yeah," Will nodded. "My knee is hurt somehow."

     "Come on," Jack shouldered Will's arm and helped him up.

     Jack led him to the altar where Will supported himself.

     "Where's Tori?" Jack asked.

     "Hiding," Will jerked his head toward the rear of the room.

     Jack looked and grinned as Tori waved at him from behind a mountain of rubies and emeralds.

     Yue hollered in pain as Wang hit him.  Will imagined he could hear the older man's ribs cracking from the force of the blow.

     "What do we do?" Will looked at Jack.

     "Well," Jack shrugged, "I don't want to get in the middle of that."

     As if to emphasize his statement, Yue grabbed Wang's arm and flipped him head over heels.

     "Me neither," Will was wide eyed. "But we can't just stand here."

     Jack eyed the altar and grinned wickedly.

     "We could always—you know," he grabbed the Claw and its sheath from the altar, "go on a treasure hunt?"

     Will flashed a warning look at him, but Jack ignored it and raced to the back of the room.  Using a staff he found on the floor, Will followed him.

     "All right," Jack was muttering. "All right."

     The door at the front of the chamber was tall, crafted of stone, and highlighted with gold inscriptions in the bizarre Chinese language.

     "It's locked," Will said.

     Jack glared at him dryly, snipping, "Did you translate that all on your own, mate?"

     Will rolled his eyes and looked closer at the hole at the center of the door.

     "Jack," Will said, "give me the Claw."

     "Want the sheath?" 

     "No, just the Claw."

     Jack pulled the Dragon's Claw out of the sheath and handed it to Will.  Will took the Claw and shoved it blade first into the hole.  He heard a click, and he turned it clockwise.  A loud clank sounded, and a little stone door opened above the Claw.

     "Ah," Jack said, "who says Chinese engineering is complicated?"   

     He shoved the sheath into the second hole.

     Immediately, a thunderous clank echoed through the chamber, and the door began to open.

     "No!" Wang suddenly roared as he noticed what Jack and Will had done.

     Yue threw him to the ground and held him still.

     "Go, Captain Sparrow!" Yue roared. "Go!"

     "Go, Jack," Will leaned on the wall. "Get the treasure."

     Jack grinned broadly and launched into the darkness of the vault.

* * *

     Anamaria twirled around and sliced Xiao's chest with her sword.  She grabbed a piece of rigging and swung to the side, driving her boot into his back.  He sprawled to the deck but jumped up and dealt her a punch so strong she saw stars for a moment.

     He moved fluidly and swept her legs out from under her.  She fell backward to the deck, her sword skittering away.

     Xiao moved over her, smirking victoriously.

     "Your roar is not impressive, woman," he laughed.

     She did not answer.  She only moved.

     She drove her heel into his right knee so hard that she heard bones snapping in his leg.  He howled in pain and went down hard.  Anamaria grabbed her sword, jumped up, and planted one foot on his chest.

     She lowered her sword to his neck.

     "What was that you were saying, mate?" she mocked. "I couldn't quite hear you."

* * *

     Will collapsed on the floor, gripping his bleeding leg.

     "Papa!" Tori wailed, running to him.

     Will knew that she should have stayed in hiding, but he did not lecture.  He gathered her in his arms and held her, out of the corner of his eye watching Wang and Yue.

     Wang was still on the floor, but he was bawling loudly.

     Suddenly, Yue stood up.

     "Get up, Shonyu," Yue ordered walking away.

     "You turn your back on me, fool!" Wang jumped up.

     "Would you strike a man who's back is turned to you?" Yue whirled on him. "You have dishonored your father enough, Shonyu."

     "How can you know how to honor my father?"

     "I loved your father, Shonyu," Yue said softly. "He was like a father to me.  He trusted me.  I would have given my life for him if I could have, gladly and willingly.  But I could not.  On his last breath, he bequeathed the Claw to me as my own.  He was not mad when he said this, Shonyu.  Consciously, he gave the Claw to me."

     Wang fell silent.

     "Well you know that allowing your heirloom to be taken from you is most dishonorable," Yue sighed. "This is why I have refused you all these years."

     "Why would he give it to you?" Wang hissed. "I was his son.  I was his legacy.  You were nothing but his little servant boy.  And now because of you, a foreigner has entered the most precious vault of my father."

     A footstep sounded, and all eyes turned to the vault.  Jack stood in the doorway with a very confused expression on his face.

     "What is it?" Will asked. "What did you find?"

     "I don't know what you mates were expecting," Jack moved out of the vault toward the altar, "but I don't think you were expecting this."

     With that, Jack set on the altar a large book.

     "A book?" Wang gasped. "A book?  That is all that lies within the vault?  _This_ is my father's most precious treasure?"

     "Maybe he was a librarian in a past life," Jack winked.

     Yue reached out and opened the book.  Inside the book were numerous columns of the strange Chinese script.  Wang came up beside him, and they both read.

     Jack watched their faces redden simultaneously.

     Suddenly, Wang began to back away.

     "No," he mumbled. "No, it cannot be.  I cannot be that I have dishonored him so greatly!" He fell to his knees and began to sob.

     Yue stared at the book.

     Will limped to Jack's side with Tori at his heels.

     "What is it, Yue?" Will asked. "What does it say?"

     "It says," Yue was trembling, "that Captain Shulong Wang had two wives.  One of whom his son Shonyu Wang was born.  The other of whom his son Yue was born."

     "But, Yue, that's you," Will whispered.

     "Yes," Yue said, tears forming in his black eyes. "His first wife, Zao Mingna, died giving birth to a son, whom Captain Wang named Yue.  Right afterward, a great period of civil unrest followed.  He was separated from his first son.  From me."

     "What happened then, Yue?" Jack came up beside him and peered at the symbols on the book, wondering to himself how on earth Yue could make any sense of it.

     "He married another woman who bore him Shonyu," Yue continued, "and he built the _Red Dragon_.  A young boy who loved the sea came to him and wanted to sail with him.  After questioning him thoroughly, Captain Wang came to believe that the young boy—named Yue Zao—was the firstborn son of his first true love.  Knowing that his second son Shonyu would not understand if Captain Wang were to bring the boy into the family, Captain Wang had a special dagger crafted.  He sailed to his treasure island and placed this book which had in it all the information about the boy's heritage.  On the dagger were instructions on how to find the island.  On the dagger's sheath were instructions on how to open the vault containing the book.  It was his hope, the book says, that one day both his sons would find the vault and come to peace."

     Yue looked up with tears streaming down his face.  He walked to where Wang sat, still sobbing.  Will and Jack watched in silence as Yue bowed to the floor in front of Wang.

     "Shonyu," he whispered as he sat up, "my brother.  Do you understand the words our father has written?"

     "Yes," Wang cried. "Yes, I understand, and I am humbled."  He bowed to the floor.  "I beg for your forgiveness, brother.  I beg you to forgive the fool before you!"

     "I forgive you, brother.  All shall be as our father desired."  
     Jack's left eyebrow was twitching.

     "This is an _odd_ culture," he mumbled to Will who nodded.

     The two brothers stood and bowed to each other.  Wang turned and approached Will.  Will was ready to grab the book to fight the man off, but Wang fell to the floor and bowed his forehead to Will's boots.

     "Mr. Turner," Wang said aloud, his voice muffled by the floor tiles, "I also ask your forgiveness.  For taking your daughter, for injuring your woman, I humbling apologize and ask your pardon."

     "Uh," Will started, uncertain of what to say. "Well." He shook his head. "I don't know.  You've caused so much trouble and pain."

     "I know.  I am truly sorry."

     Suddenly, Tori stepped out from behind her father and patted Wang's head.

     "That's okay," she said with a grin. "You were just grumpy.  Everybody gets grumpy every now and then."

     Will had to smile.

     "We should forgive him, then?" he asked his daughter.

     "Always forgive, Papa," Tori said up to him. "That's what Mother says."

     "All right, then," Will said. "We forgive you, Wang."

     "Thank you," Wang sat up and then bowed to Jack. "Captain Sparrow, I also ask your forgiveness.  For taking the life of your—"     

     "Oh, get up!" Jack threw his hands in the air. "I hate seeing a grown man grovel."

     "But will you forgive me?"

     Jack rolled his eyes and offered his hand to Wang.

     "Why not?" 

     Wang accepted his hand and stood up.  He bowed to Yue again.

     "Come, brother," Yue touched Wang's arm, "let us return the book to the vault, just the way our father intended."

     Jack and Will watched the two men return the book into the darkness of the vault and lock the door.  They pulled the sheath and the Claw out of the locks.  The door clanked again.

     Wang set the sheath on the altar and handed the Claw to Yue.

     "It is you to whom the Claw belongs," Wang bowed.

     "Thank you, brother," Yue accepted it from him.

     Jack rolled his eyes again.

     "Disagree with me if you like, brother," Yue touched his arm, "but I think it would be fitting to allow Captain Sparrow and Mr. Turner to take something of value from this chamber."

     Instantly, Jack's ears perked up.

     "Something of value?" he asked.

     "Yes," Wang nodded. "For all the trouble and pain, it is only fitting.  Any item you would like."

     "Really?" Tori laughed.

     "Anything in the entire chamber," Yue nodded at her.

     Tori threw her arms around Will's legs.

     "I want my Papa!"

     "No, child," Wang said, "something of value, monetary worth."

     "No," Will laughed quietly, lifting Tori into his arms, "I think she's got it right.  Just as your father did.  There's nothing more precious in this life than family."

     Yue and Wang both bowed to them.

     And Jack laughed, "Fine for you, mate.  Be noble if you like.  For once in my whole career, I'm finally getting paid."

* * *

     The group ascended from the treasure cave together.  Wang helped Will up the stairs, and Jack, loaded down with gold, carried Tori on his back.  Yue locked all the doors behind them.

     "I hope your ship is all right," Wang said. "I did give rather cruel orders to my crew."

     The group stepped onto the beach.

     "Oh," Jack cleared his throat. "I'm sure she's fine."

     The _Black Pearl _floated calmly in the Forbidden Harbor, and the _Red Dragon_ was drifting toward the south, flames burning on its deck.  On the beach, the entirety of the _Dragon_'s crew was bound and gagged, with Jack's crew surrounding them, hooting and hollering like idiots.

     "Westerners," Wang muttered.


	15. Chapter Fourteen: Journey's End

**Pirates of the Caribbean**

**Legend of the Dragon's Claw**

**By Amos Whirly**

**Chapter Fourteen: Journey's End**

     Unlike the tempers of the two respective crews, the fires on the _Red Dragon_ were easily quelled, and the holes in the hull of the _Black Pearl _were sufficiently patched.

     Both crews returned to their ships silently, all except for Wang's first mate Xiao Li, who made sure to bow at Anamaria.  Jack made a mental note to ask her what that had been about.  
     Anamaria took Tori and Jack's plunder with her as they sailed back to the _Pearl_, leaving Jack and Will on the shore with Wang and Yue.

     "Are you two going to be all right together?" Jack seemed uncertain. "I mean, not an hour ago, you were trying to kill each other."

     "We have forgiven each other, Captain Sparrow," Yue reminded. "There is no more hostility between us."

     "Whatever you say, mate," Jack still seemed dubious.

     "Thank you for all your help, Yue," Will shook the shorter man's hand.

     "Thank you for bringing me with you, Mr. Turner," Yue bowed. "If you had not, I would never have found my brother and my family."

     "Mr. Turner," Wang started, "are you certain you will take nothing for your trouble?"

     "I have my daughter, Captain Wang," Will smiled. "That's all I came for."

     "As you wish," Wang bowed to them both and walked to his small boat.

     "So, my friends," Yue smiled, "this is farewell.  Perhaps we will see each other again."

     "Hopefully minus the sword-swinging maniacs," Jack said.

     "If I ever have need of you, I may come and find you," Yue bowed again.

     "Like I said," Jack snorted. "No more swords."

     Yue bowed once more and climbed into the boat with his brother.  Will and Jack climbed into their boat and rowed out to the _Pearl_.  Once aboard, the pirates scurried around a dropped the sails.

     "Let's get out of here," Jack said. "Set full sail.  Course for Port Royal."

     "Aye," Anamaria nodded.

     She was bandaged nearly from head to toe, but that did not stop her from barking orders at the rest of the crew.

     Gibbs was relaxing at the helm, nursing whatever remained in his whisky flask.  

     "I hope you made yourself useful," Jack snorted as he took the helm from him.

     "Oh, to be sure, Captain Jack," he laughed. "To be sure.  Plugged many a hole in that confounded hull."

     "Speaking of which," Jack twirled the wheel, "can we make it to El Corazon on those patches?"

     "Probably, sir," Gibbs scowled, "but haven't you already bought your favor of Master Freddie?"

     "Have I?" Jack looked aghast. "Ha!  Not only does the lad stutter, Gibbs, he's a terrible memory."

     Will leaned on the ledge, supporting Tori with one arm.  His knee had been neatly bandaged by the _Red Dragon_'s medic, and it was feeling much better.

     "This is a pirate ship, Papa?" Tori asked him, her curls flying in the wind.

     "Yes, Tori," he kissed her cheek. "This is a pirate ship."

     "Like the one my grandfather sailed on?"

     "This _is_ the one your grandfather sailed on."

     "Really?"

     "Aye."

     "And Mr. Smith's the captain?"

     "Yes."

     Tori leaned in close.

     "His name's not really Mr. Smith, is it?"

     "No, it's not."

     Tori nodded.

     "Let's not tell him," she whispered. "Let's keep it secret."

     "Okay," Will grinned at her.

     "I can't wait to see mother," Tori snuggled into his arms. 

     "Me neither, darling.  Me neither."

* * *

     The wind was warm and sweet as it drifted over the blue waters of Port Royal and lifted Elizabeth's honey-brown curls from her shoulders. 

     She stood on the balcony outside the governor's mansion.

     Little Will was sleeping inside.

     _A month_, she thought. _It's been a whole month.  Oh, I hope they're all right.  I don't know what I'd do without them_.

     She closed her eyes.

     A shout suddenly sounded in the air, and she looked.  Joy flooded her soul as a tall sailing ship crested the bend of island.  Black sails scraped the sky, a pirate flag flapping in the wind.

     Elizabeth would have known the ship anywhere.

     "The _Pearl_!" she yelped, bolting for the door.

* * *

     "There you are," Jack stopped the wheel and approached Will and Tori. "Port Royal."

     "Aren't we going any closer?" Tori asked. 

     "No, little luv," Jack knelt down to her. "People there don't like us much."

     "You're going away?" Tori's eyes began to fill with tears.

     "Not for long, lass," he patted her head with a dirty hand. "I'll come back and visit on a whim.  Wait and see."

     Tori nodded sadly and threw her arms around his neck.  Jack stumbled slightly at the contact, wondering not for the first time exactly what the child saw in him.  

     He stood, lifting Tori with him, and shook Will's hand.

     "Will, mate," he said, "it was fun."

     "Aye," Will laughed. "Whatever you say."

     "And I'm serious," Jack said. "I'll come back for a visit some time."

     "Don't let James catch you."

     "Ah, that sour puss couldn't catch a cold," Jack handed Tori to Will. 

     Will set Tori in one of the small boats, and he climbed in after her.  Gibbs and the rest of the crew lowered the boat to the water.

     "Take care of that shoulder, Jack," Will shouted up at him.

     "You take care of that family of yours," Jack shouted down. "Give Elizabeth my love, mate."

     Will smiled and took up the oars.

     "Oh, and Will!" 

     Will turned and gasped as a leather pouch flew threw the air.  He caught it and looked back up at Jack who was grinning like a fiend.

     "Family may be priceless, but bills aren't!"

     Will opened the pouch and stared at the gold coins and precious stones within it.  He looked back at Jack, who winked, and turned away, barking orders to his crew.

     Will and Tori watched the _Black Pearl _pull in her anchor and sail away.

     "Bye, Mr. Smith!" Tori shouted. "Come back and see us!"

     Jack waved from the helm.  The ship disappeared around the bend, and it was lost to sight.

     Will rowed until the little boat hit solid ground, and he jumped out, pushing it the rest of the way.

     "Will!  Tori!" a woman's cry reached their ears.

     Will looked up to see Elizabeth running toward them.

     "Mother!" Tori scrambled out of the boat.  

     Elizabeth caught the girl in a crushing hug and fell to her knees, sobbing in relief.  Will hurried to her side and fell with his arms around them both.  They stayed there for a long time.

     Will moved only when he heard the approach of Admiral Norrington.  He stood and faced the stoic man with a shining face.

     "Well done, Tuner," Norrington said. "Well done."

     "Thank you for watching over William and Elizabeth, James," Will spoke sincerely. "Thank you."

     "Take them home, Turner."

     "Home?" Will asked.

     "I took the liberty," Norrington smiled, "of having the men build you another place to stay.  It's not much, but it should do for a time."

     Will let his jaw drop slightly.

     "You needn't have—That was too much to ask, James."

     "It was the least I could do, Will."

     Norrington shook his hand again and walked away.

     Later that night, Will and Elizabeth stood in their bedroom doorway, watching Tori sleep in her trundle bed.

     "She's really fine, isn't she?" Elizabeth leaned into Will's embrace. 

     "Yes, and so will we be."

     "I know that," Elizabeth kissed him fully on the lips. "We have each other."

     "I've been thinking," Will led her toward the living room, "since the old place is—well—burned up—"

     "Will," Elizabeth started, "we can't afford another house here."

     "I don't want to build a house _here_," Will shrugged. "I'm in the mood for another adventure, actually."

     "Oh, Will, no more," Elizabeth laughed as he pulled her into his lap. "No more adventures."

     "What about to the colonies?"

     Elizabeth sat up and looked at him.

     "America?" she gasped. "Will, we don't have that kind of money."

     "We don't?" he gestured to the leather pouch on the table next to the chair.

     Elizabeth picked it up and opened it, gasping, "Will!  Where did you get this?"

     "No, it's not stolen," he started. "Jack gave it to me—_and_ someone gave it to him."

     "Who?"

     "Two very special brothers," Will laughed. "So, there's enough there to pay Norrington back for the work done here _and _a house in the colonies, where we've always wanted to go.  Maybe Massachusetts or Connecticut."  
     "Or Vermont?"

     "Or Vermont," Will nuzzled her face.

     "Oh, Will."

     "Yes, dear?"

     "I love you."

     They kissed briefly and settled into each other's arms.

     In her room, Tori turned over and opened her eyes.  On the window sill across from her sat the little crystal ship Mr. Smith had bought for her.  The moonlight shone through it, sending a prism of rainbow flecks across the wooden floor.  

     She drifted back to sleep, dreaming of tall, majestic ships sailing on the wide blue ocean.


End file.
